Do it yourself snack packs for schools etc

If your kids are anything like mine, they go through snacks like crazy, and lets face it those little snack packs are not cheap! Some are $4-$5 for 6 tiny little packages!
My daughter used to be all for the bargain brand gummies etc but now that she has a partial mouth piece she can't have those, or any other fruit roll up type products or sugary candies.
My solution?
I spent $10, on 60+ snacks. Actually about 75 IF I bagged them all.
(Plus $1 on a box of snack bags, or a few bucks on a bulk case of a couple hundred from your nearest BJs.)

Best of all, it only took about twenty minutes to bag it all!

The end result? A larger variety, cheaper cost, AND correct portion size. You can decide how little or how much is right for your kiddies. I did four cookies per bag, and a handful of the chips and crackers per bag.
I also was left with two half bags of chips to snack on, as well as 20 of the sandwhich cookies to send to the class to enjoy.

Here is what I bought: (&how many baggies they made)

$1 bag of ruffles- but I only used half(5 snacks)
$2 bag of doritoes-but I only used half(5 snacks)
$1 bag of cheddar fries (5 snacks)
$2 box of cheezits (12 snacks)
$1.50 choc chip cookies (8 snacks)
$1.50 shortbreads (8 snacks)
$2 sandwhich cookies (15 snacks)
_____
$11 (I had a dollar off coupon as well to make it $10 even)

Obviously prices will vary based on stores, I shopped at price chopper, but even dollar tree has the exact same brand of cookies, and ruffle chips so that could even cut it down further. They also have bags of pretzels etc. I was just buying these because that's where I was. And price chopper very frequently does 2/$4 on cheezits, doritoes and other items AND there sale prices will still work if you only get one and not two.

*Oh and you will see two baggies of el fudge cookies I decided to share lol. The package was not counted in my total.

healthy BBQ chicken crock pot freezer meal.

Made the healthy BBQ crock pot chicken freezer bag for dinner today.

With some slight adds, I added 1 cup of chicken broth, a half a can of corn, and 2 slices of chopped up raw bacon that were leftover from last night's meal.

It was good, and has a teriyaki type flavor to it. Very subtle, which is good because I'm not to keen on New flavors, or sweet foods. We will make it again.

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crock pot mac & cheese

This mac & cheese came out great! It was super easy.

I doubled the recipe, for a full pound instead of half pound of elbows, I doubled everything except the eggs.

It cooked to the top of the crockpot, being about half full with the parboiled & ingrediants. I'm sure you could even cook the elbows from dry & they would moisten up. I cooked on high for an hour, mixed, topped with cheese, and then on low. It only took about 2hrs on low for everything to get oft & melted but I left it on for 3 until dinner. (4 total)

About half was left over after dinner. The bottom inch or so is toss aways because it got a brownish burnt tint to it, didn't affect the taste of the whole dish but it didn't look as "yummy" as the rest.

This recipe will be used again ;)

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honey orange porkchops.

In this house, this meals flavor failed.

The recipe however was easy to follow, and the gravy came out very easy as well. Everything looked great, but niether of the 4 of us were a fan of the sweet gravy.

The pork chops however were very tender and juicey, and they did not have the over fruity flavor. I used 4 boneless pork chops.

I should have known from the name, but we have never tried a fruity dish, so there was no harm in trying something new.

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UPDATE!

Now that the recipes are complete & the shopping list & recipe cards are finished, please visit the section labeled

MAKING THE 30 MEALS

To see pictures, comments & feedback about all of these recipes as I make them.

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Jersey Clam Chowder. Making the 30 Meals

The jersey clam chowder taste awesome!

It was a hit with the whole family.

I followed the recipe almost exactly, because I did however make two substitutions:

1. I didn't have bacon, and aiming for a more healthy approach, I used 3 turkey sausage links. I sliced them open and browned the meat in the butter, just as the bacon said.

2. I cut a handful of cocktail shrimp into thirds and added them with the clams. (Tails and shells removed. Mine were frozen & precooked)

In addition I used canned corn, and I sliced my celery thinner then the 1inch sections the recipe called for, partly because of my picky eatters. I sliced them into regular soup size maybe a 1/5th of an inch?

The 4 of us each had a bowl, my husband had seconds, and we had enough left over to fill a small tupperware container. Maybe 2 possibly 3 servings.

My husband also mentioned that he liked that it was creamy but not to thick like some canned soups. It was really pretty thin & smooth, and had just the right amount of veggies & seafood.

Looking for the recipe? Find it here.

As far as the shopping for this meal, I purchased a half pound of fresh chopped clams which was the perfect amount & I didn't have to try and cut them, which cost me $3.26 at the seafood counter at pricechopper. Clam juice there was also $1.16 for an 8oz glass bottle for which I needed 2. So I spent about $6 at the market for these specifics. Spices & Veggies and milkd I had on hand. So this whole meal I would estimate at under a $10 cost.

A great way to save money is buy veggies like onions, celery, carrots etc in bulk. Slice or chop them, and freeze them in single servings such as 1 onion, 3 celery sticks, 4 carrots etc. That way when a meal calls for veggies u can just grab some out of the freezer and you don't let them go to waste sitting on counters when you don't need them all.

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fresh fruit & veggie cocktail.

In a electric juicer:

3 cored apples.

10-15 strawberries.(a reg size container)

3 peeled oranges

A handful of grape tomatos

Half cup of water.

Use a funnel on an old soda or water jug, or a tupperwear juice container. Juice one fruit at a time into a cup, and then dump into your container. After all fruits have been juiced, add half a cup of water & shake it. Serve chilled. Makes about 1 liter.

Juice will be liquid with a thin film on top.

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