Consider Meals In A Jar for Easy Dinners This Busy Fall Season- With Recipes

Momma Told Me: 10 minutes now, 2 minutes later.

Growing up Momma always had a lot of tricks up her sleeve, especially when it came to easy dinners that could really stretch a dollar. One of her favorite things to do was to prepare our favorite family meals in bulk, then freeze additional portions for the upcoming month. She'd do this with fried rice, lasagana, stroganoff, and more; turning hot sales from the weekly ads into extended savings for our household. With the beginning of a new school year, and our family's decision to join 3 Winter bowling leagues, I've been looking for some time, and money saving, inspiration as well. One of the things you'll find sprinkled throughout my Pinterest boards as of late are creative ideas for meals in a jar. No, I'm not referring to Chef Boyardee or anchovies, I'm talking about hand layered ingredients that instantly transform into delicious meals with the simple addition of a few added ingredients.

It's hardly molecular gastronomy; creating a delicious meal in a jar is as simple as breaking down some of your favorite recipes; especially those that hinge on various dry ingredients. A year ago there was a nasty outbreak of the seasonal flu spreading through our neighborhood. As one of the few houses not 'hit' yet by the bug I felt compelled to soothe those around me, and prepare for the inevitable outbreak in our own home. I wanted to make the traditional 'Chicken Noodle Soup,' but processing such a large quantity in my small kitchen would have proved a challenge. Instead I purchased a package of food safe canning (mason) jars from my local Smart & Final, along with the dry ingredients necessary to turn my family recipe into a ready to make mix. By purchasing the chain's First Street brand of in house products I was able to buy the ingredients in bulk, for easy handling and extreme savings.

Our family shops at Smart and Final year round for cooking staples like flour, salt, cornmeal, pancake/waffle batter, and more. However, we also frequent the chain for it's extensive range of food service buys, such as ramekins, paper cups, plastic Souffle Cups with Lids, canning supplies and more. On my recent trip I even found I could include a 4oz ladle with each of my yearly flu season soup bundles for just over $2 a piece! Inspired, I set out to share just how simple a home-style meal in jars truly can be. A lot of people think this means 'canning,' and, in a sense it does, but you can often avoid the preserving process by handling dry ingredients in sterile environments, and making 'freezer friendly' pre-cooked dishes, like my Mini Apple Pies in a Jar.

People make meals in a jar for a variety of reasons; some are looking for easy family dinners they can prepare during the busy week, while others are looking for heartfelt gifts to give during the holidays. Regardless of your reason my Comfort Foods Trio (Chicken Noodle Soup, Country Corn Bread, and Mini Apple Pies) are sure to help the cool Fall months, and treacherous flu season pass all the more pleasant. Begin with ample canning jars to store your meals in a jar, and a large work space such as a dining table. Buy your ingredients in bulk at a big buy store such as Smart & Final, and look for in house brands like First Street, to really stretch your pennies. Measuring will be key, so be sure to have measuring spoons and cups handy, as well as the appropriate size jars for the content that will be going in. And finally, before you begin, sanitize all of your canning jars in the dishwasher, or a hot water bath.

Whether you are gifting your meals in a jar, or simply keeping them on hand in the pantry, you'll want to include the preparation instructions. Momma was always sure to pick out a decorative ribbon, and some scrap-booking sheets, from the local craft store, just for this purpose. If you have messy handwriting, or are making a large number of jars, you can print the simple instructions and paste them onto hand cut tags, though I prefer the personal touch of handwriting. Be sure to include a breakdown of the necessary added ingredients, and the ingredients already inside just in case your recipient has allergies! Cut a small slit at the edge of your handmade tags and run your ribbon through. Tie a gentle bow or not along the can's lid for decoration.

While you can find a variety of creative ideas for quick recipes in a jar, I've compiled the 3 featured above for easy reference. Chicken Noodle Soup, Country Corn Bread, and Mini Apple Pie in a jar recipes are perfect for the upcoming cool months and busy school nights. Creating affordable and flavorful meals in a jar doesn't have to be complicated; I've seen beautiful layered salads, and even instant oatmeal with dried fruit (just add water), you'd be surprised what can be pulled of with little ease. Just remember, the beauty in preparing these meals ahead of time is the money you can save when canning in bulk; buy quality brands like First Street and save money without compromising quality. See more of my great Smart and Final First Street finds in our Google + album.

Do you have a favorite Fall meal with a time/money saving twist?

What Daughter Says: Try a new method of advance meal preparation with meals in a jar to save money and time.

Smart Cooking w/ Ingrid Hoffmann's Ropa Vieja + Mexican Rice Recipes

Momma Told Me: Smart Buys require Smart Buyers.

Growing up my family never owned a business, or coordinated large family get-togethers. For the most part Momma fed and entertained a party of 3, 365 days a year; and that alone was a challenge. With a disabled parent, and one income, my family relied greatly on Momma's skills to coupon and shop sales to make our budget stretch through the rough patches. Whenever an unexpected expense would pop up, in the form of a medical bill or household repair, I knew we'd be in for some creative meal planning through the following weeks. One of Momma's biggest tricks was buying in bulk, or making a 'smart buy', that is to pay a little more, for a larger quantity of an item, up front, in exchange for the added value over time. In addition to shopping 'club' based stores, she would frequent Smart & Final, where she could stock up on everything from fresh produce to frozen smart buys that would help her make multiple meals at once. She would go on these cooking crazes, where it seemed she wouldn't leave the kitchen for days; and our freezer would magically become stocked with ready to eat, homemade, meals.

Today I choose Smart and Final for the very same reasons; there is no club membership required and I can save valuable pennies buying everyday items in bulk quantities. For example, my family goes through Teriyaki Glaze like it's water, so we buy our Kikkoman Glaze at Smart & Final, where we pay $.09/oz less than buying individual retail bottles. (And when we eliminate the extra packaging, we're helping out the Earth as well.) Recently I got the 'heads up' on a very exciting promotion that pairs Smart & Final with Procter & Gamble (P&G) favorite products. Running February 13-19, 2013, Smart & Final customers who purchase $25 or more in participating P&G brand products will qualify to receive a free 5.5qt T-Fal Caldero from celebrity chef Ingrid Hoffman's Simply Delicioso cookware line! It's as simple as stopping in to your local Smart & Final store between 2/13-2/19, purchasing $25 or more in the following brands; Always, Bounce, Bounty, Charmin, Cheer, Crest, Dawn, Downy, Dreft, Febreze, Fixodent, Fusion, Gain, Gillette, Glide, H&S, Herbal Essence, Ivory, Joy, Metamucil, Mr.Clean, Olay, Old Spice, Oral B, Pantene, Pepto Bismol, Prilosec, Secret, Swiffer, Tampax, Tide, and Vicks. Then simply print out and mail the rebate form, with required receipt, before 2/26/2013, to receive your Ingrid Hoffmann T-Fal Caldero and Recipe Cards (a $39.99 value) in the mail!

I had a chance to receive Ingrid Hoffman's T-Fal 5.5qt Caldero in advance of the promotion and headed straight to my local Smart & Final to shop for some ingredients to create an inspired recipe. The Simply Delicioso Caldero happened to match my other cookware beautifully, in it's crimson red finish, and features extra deep walls that make it suitable for everyday cooking from browning and frying to pasta and soup making. On the very bottom, inside, the Caldero is a heat indicator that turns bright red when the Caldero has reached the right temperature for cooking. It's slick non-stick surface and extra wide handles make it the perfect companion for long-term recipes that require hours of simmering on the stove; making it perfect for my chosen recipes, Pork Ropa Vieja and Mexican Rice, adapted from Ingrid Hoffmann's library of Cuban cuisine recipes. While the original Ropa Vieja recipe calls for beef, locating Flank steak proved exceedingly difficult, even in my predominantly Mexican local community. I chose to substitute this with a Pork Butt Roast, that shredded as intended with the Flank Steak.

Pork Ropa Vieja Part 1, Delicioso Adobo Rub

Ingredients:

* 2 TBS Garlic Powder

* 2 TBS Onion Powder

* 2 TBS Dried Oregano

* 2 TBS Lemon Pepper

* 2 TBS Parsley Flakes

* 2 TBS Achoite Powder (From Annatto Seed)

* 1 TBS Cumin

*** 1/2 C Worcestershire Sauce

Combine all dry ingredients, then introduce to Worcestershire Sauce to make a paste.

Pork Ropa Vieja Part 2

Ingredients:

* 6lbs Boneless, or Trimmed, Pork Butt Roast

* 6 Bottles/Cans of Beer

* 1/2 C Canola Oil

* 2 Medium Yellow Onions, Chopped

* 2 Red Bell Peppers, Cored, Seeded, Ribbed, Chopped

* 2 Green Bell Peppers, Cored, Seeded, Ribbed, Chopped

* 6 Scallions, White and Light Green Parts Only, Chopped

* 28oz Canned, Diced, Tomatoes

* 6oz Can Tomato Paste

* Salt and Ground Pepper to Taste

Directions:

1.) Cut the Pork Butt into large and even chunks and place them in a large bowl. Rub Adobo Paste into meat generously. Add beer and allow to marinate in fridge 15 minutes.

2.) Transfer the meat, and marinade, into a large pot and bring to a boil over Medium Heat. Reduce heat to Low, Cover, and simmer until the meat is tender (about 3 hours). Be sure to check on meat regularly to ensure the liquid has not boiled off; if fluid is low, add an additional bottle.can of beer.

3.) Remove the meat from the pot and reserve 2C of cooking liquid. Using 2 forks shred the meat and set it aside. Be careful the inside of the meat will be very hot!

4.) Heat oil in large, deep, skillet over Medium-High heat. Add onions, peppers, scallions, and tomatoes and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and meat to the pan along with reserve cooking liquid. Cover and simmer until juices cook down, about 15 minutes. Serve over ice and enjoy!

Mexican Rice

Ingredients:

* 2.5 TBS Olive Oil

* 1 Small Onion, Finely Chopped

* 2 Garlic Cloves, Finely Minced

* 2 C Long-Grain White Rice

* 1 Bay Leaf

* 2 C Canned, Chopped, Tomatoes

* 2.5 C Low Sodium Chicken Broth

Directions:

1.) Heat oil in a medium saucepan over Medium-High heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are soft (about 2 minutes). Add Rice and Bay Leaf. Cook and stir until the rice is opaque (about 2 minutes).

2.) Add tomatoes and broth, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to Medium-Low.

3.) Cook until the liquid has evaporated to just below the level of the rice (about 10 minutes). Reduce heat to Low, cover and cook until the rice is tender (about 20-25 minutes). Uncover and fluff with a fork. Serve as desired.

Cooking with the Simply Delicioso T-Fal Caldero couldn't have been more convenient; versatile enough for both of these recipes, and it proved especially well suited for cooking large portions! Ingrid Hoffmann's inspired recipes helped put an authentic Mexican-Cuban meal on my family's table, with plenty of leftovers to share with the neighbors (and that's what good cooking is really all about, right?) Be sure to mark your calendars to stop into Smart & Final between 2/13-2/19 to purchase your $25 in participating P&G family products and claim your T-Fal 5.5qt Caldero; you won't want to miss out on this amazing deal! Stay up to date with the chain's upcoming promotions and sales by following Smart & Final on Twitter.

What Daughter Says: Take advantage of Smart Buys and Smart Promotions when you follow your local Smart & Final!

I am a member of the Collective Bias®  Social Fabric® Community.  This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias® and Smart&Final.  #CBias #ChooseSmart #SocialFabric.