I usually get those dollar parfait from McDonalds.Would it be cheaper in te long run just to go out and buy some frozen strawberries and some plain yogurt and some freezer bags to put the frozen berries in rather than buying it from McDonalds?

I also get those ranch grilled snack wraps.. If I buy frozen chicken breasts some tortillas,ranch dressing,shredded cheese..I think that's all thats in them..In the long run won't making mine from home save me money?

Trying to put together some cheap easy meals I can make.. Im on very tight budget.So frozen meat or frozen berries will be cheaper in long run for me..I buy fresh then plans change and they just go to waste..I never know when I will have time to cook or for how many I will cook for..Long story short fresh ingredients usually go to waste.So I figure frozen berries and frozen meat will be cheaper than fresh in long run.

Im cooking in a electric skillet and a crock-pot/deep fryer(it's a multipurpose thing).I have no blender. Im on a low sodium diet do to health reasons.

I do try and coupon. I am looking into some freezer bags and other things to freeze leftovers in.

dry pasta with frozen veg to use when cooking. You need only to buy some dairy product and bacon bits and you got a complete meal. When you buy fresh veg/fruits you can try to cut it into smaller pieces and freeze it. With fruits/berries you can always make a nice smoothie. With frozen veg you can make a vegetarian stew or something or why not a soup?

sorry forgot to mention a few things.. Im cooking in a electric skillet I have no blender.

I do like your smoothie idea..maybe I can try and save up for a blender..It would have to be a cheap one though..who knows with all the upcoming holiday sales maybe i'll find one on clearance or something.. I know you can make pesto in a blender..but what else can you make?I like to think of ways I could use something before I buy it..SO I don't end up just throwing it somewhere and forgetting about it..

Soups, milkshakes or if you really love smoothie for breakfast and afternoon snacks you will have it next to the water boiler. My sister is addicted to smoothies in the morning as she is always in a hurry for school. So a smoothie on the go is a quick way of having breakfast. Oh you can make hummus in the blender, really delicious on a sandwich and great source of protein. Tomato sauce for homemade pizza.

I can rule out buying a blender..after thinking it over I remember having one in the past and it never got used..I think it ended up getting broken..

any skillet meals ideas? other than pancakes..Ive been making so many in the mornings im sick of them.. Ive been thinking about doing some wraps..

how about quesadilla? Soft tortilla bread, butter, cheese and ham and then heat on the frying pan. Really delicious and quick way of having some kind of toast without having a toast machine. Wraps with tuna, mayo,canned corn,salt and pepper and put some lettuce into it. If you got leftover jasmine rice, chop some onion and beat some egg until the white and yellow are mixed. Make nasi goreng, easy and cheap. if you are sick of ordinary pancakes try to make cottage cheese and corn pancakes. easier to fry and you can eat for afternoon snacks.

If you are too tired in the morning you can make overnight oats, they are healthy and easy to prepare the day before so in the morning you just grab one jar and a spoon and eat it. http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2015/05/13/overnight-oats-for-breakfast/

quesadilla sounds good.I only get white rice..I do have a ton of canned corn..Im not even kidding..I have more canned veggies than anything..DO to my health I try and not use salt and I know canned items usually have high sodium.I get gave a ton of peanut butter..Im trying to figure out what to do with it..

Try to join to join a local swapping group? That's what I do on facebook to swap things I don't need for food or the other way around. I don't have much canned veggies, I have little fresh veggies that I use for 2-3 days before I go and buy new ones and a pack of frozen broccolis for quick meals.

i usually make soup for long term. cut the whole chicken into small pieces and and boil them with some salt, herbs and spices. keep them heated for a while so the chicken flavor seep into the soup and the chicken absorb the herb and spices. eat what you need and you can freeze the rest afterwards. the taste will get better when you reheated them. and save the bones, include them in your next soup.

and i love my blender :) i use them regularly for fruit juices and pancakes. sometimes even to blend things that you usually use mortar and pestle to prepare.

other than that, i just bought flour and make skillet bread regularly. that way, i don't have to rush eat my bread before they gone bad.

I'm also a pretty big fan of freezing soups, because then you can make them all at once with fresh ingredients, which will save you a little bit of money, and will make them taste better, and that way you've saved money and all you have to do is pull out the frozen soup and warm it up again.

That also works with things like casseroles and lasagna.

skillet bread?how do you make that?

simple bread dough. using flour and water. after you kneed it thoroughly, just flatten it thin enough for it to cook through. i use medium/medium low heat so it doesn't burn. it doesn't rise either. cook both side.

you can use the simple recipe and add some topping later. kinda like pizza. or just mix something with the dough before cooking, like tiny chunks of chocolate, cheese, butter or crushed garlic.

make sure to cover with enough flour so it doesn't stick.

i prefer this now over pancake because i don't need oil to cook it, and i'm getting bored with pancake. and i'm trying to make skillet pizza :P

I have biscuit mix guess I could use it to make it.TO make it more like a desert Im thinking add some sugar and cinnamon?tO make it kinda like a monkey bread..

yeah that could work too i guess! and must already be tasty. keep me posted if it is able to rise in skillet. i haven't use yeast or any rising agent.

ive been doing research on skillet bread since you mentioned it..there are ways to make it rise without yeast..which is good cause me and yeast don't get along..I can never get it to activate.. Baking powder and baking soda are rising agents..Wonder if my biscuit mix has those ingredients in it.. Just found this:

"Steam is the most basic of raising agents, but also the most complex in technique. In puff pastry, the layers of butter and pastry are heated. The butter lets off steam which pushes up against the pastry leaves and you get rise. Once the steam has evaporated, the pastry leaves are set in place by heat during baking. With choux pastry and Yorkshire puddings, steam is released from the wet batter which pushes up against the gluten lattice and you get a puffed up pastry, again, fixed by the heat of the oven. In both cases, strong flour is necessary to give a lattice structure which will not break through the force of steam.

All raising agents (leaveners) work on the same principal, be it Chemical, Mechanical or Natural. Gasses expand, push up against a structure, you get rise, which is fixed by the heat of the oven. It is by using ingredients and baking techniques in the correct manner which ensures success when you Bake. Simple!" update! it worked!My dough raised!Just biscuit mix and water and it raised!here is how I did it: I mixed the ingredients poured batter in small muffin tins put a metal rack in bottom of skillet put the muffin tin on top set mine to 400 degrees and I had it covered(except for the small steam hole) all through cooking and I made biscuits in a electric skillet! My mistakes over filling the tin..Had to cut one in half thats why the ones on the left look weird..

nice!! glad to hear it work out nicely. now you can decorate them :)

wonder what else I can bake in my electric skillet..I think I could do cupcakes..im pretty sure muffins would work..got to look and see if I got any other small metal dishes to set inside.most of my cake pans are to tall to set inside cause lid is key to keeping heat in for cooking..

UPdate got a used breadmaker gave to me..I know nothing about it though..