Easily Prepare Your Own Pre-Packaged Meals At Home

Serving convenience foods to your family is, well, convenient. With kids returning to school and starting all those hectic after-school activities again, having a few ready-to-go meals stashed in your cupboards is a definite must have. Unfortunately, those boxed meals really can ruin your family’s budget and rob you of your hard-earned cash.

How can you afford to have your meals conveniently prepared on a tight budget? By creating an inexpensive alternative to those store-bought pre-packaged foods. Stocking your pantry with your own homemade variety of these foods will save you an enormous amount of money and give you the opportunity to choose healthier ingredients to serve your family.

When you walk through your grocery store aisles, you’ll be amazed at just how many of those pre-packaged meals can actually be duplicated at home. You can quickly and easily create “easy meal” counterparts in your own kitchen, using a few basic ingredients.

Let’s look at a couple recognizable meal ideas that start out with your own pre-packaged mix. Of course, this is just something to start you, the inventive cook, on your way to creating quick, healthy, and inexpensive meals for your family.

Red Beans and Rice Mix: This dish is one of the most versatile meals you can make. You’ll start with your dry mix and create a variety of dishes from the basic mix, including Cajun favorites like jambalaya, using anything you want including beans, sausage, chicken, vegetables, or seafood. Of course, you may want to just add the beans and stick with the basic dish.

Suggested mix ingredients: 1 cup long grain brown or long grain white rice, 1 tablespoon dry onion flakes, 1 tablespoon dry celery or celery seed, 1 tablespoon dry green pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 2 chicken bouillon cubes, 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, 1/4 cup bacon bits. Experiment with other ingredients, just being sure you use all dry ingredients. Follow the rice cooking instructions, add beans, vegetables, meat, or any other ingredients you want.

Rice & Roni Mix: This is another classic take on a favorite boxed meal. You can, of course, make this as it is, but adding diced chicken, meat, and vegetables is an option. Use this mix as the jumping-off-point for lots of good one-dish skillet meals.

Suggested mix ingredients: 3/4 cup long grain brown or white rice, 1/4 cup broken vermicelli or spaghetti, 1 tablespoon dry onion, 1/4 teaspoon dry garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of a combination of dry thyme and dry sage OR 1/4 teaspoon dry poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon dry parsley, 3 chicken flavored bouillon cubes. The basic recipe for this dry mix can be tweaked to suit your particular taste. Create your own special dish by experimenting with the seasonings and adding your own fresh ingredients when you make the dish.

Creamy Parmesan Rice Mix: This dish is very kid-friendly because it’s cheesy and creamy. Powdered milk makes the creation of this dry mix possible. Cooking up a traditional side dish like this will be a snap with the mix all ready and waiting for you in your cupboard.

Suggested mix ingredients: 1 cup long grain brown rice or white rice, 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon, 2 tablespoons dry milk powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 cup grated dry Parmesan cheese (in canister) not freshly grated. Prepare this dish as is or add other ingredients, such as diced cooked chicken or mixed frozen vegetables, to create a full meal.

The ingredients in the mixes and the cooking instructions for any of these mixes will vary depending on your tastes, availability of ingredients, and the amount of rice in each mix. Taste test your dry mix ingredients as you go. For preparing the meal, just follow your basic method for cooking the amount of rice used, then adding fresh ingredients as you desire.

When you find out just how easy it is to make your own homemade “boxed dinners”, you’ll start searching for ways to make all your family’s favorite dishes using these convenient dry mixes. Won’t it be great to grab a package out of your pantry, mix in some meat, chicken, fish, or vegetables and have a brand new meal in no time at all, and for a fraction of the cost?

Pre-packaged meals are a big help on those busy nights when everyone is coming home after work, school, and all those other activities. Just a couple ready-to-use mixes in your cupboard is all you need to quickly mix up a hot, nutritious meal for your hungry family. Now you don’t need to stock up at the grocery store on those expensive boxed dinners. Making your own homemade versions of your family’s favorite meals is a shortcut that you can appreciate on a hectic night, not only because it’s fast and easy, but because you made it with love… at a fraction of the cost!

Easy to make side dishes like our Buttery Parmesan and Rice or our Beans and Rice help a busy family find time to actually sit down for dinner. Homemade convenience foods help get meals on the table quickly and inexpensively, too!

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