Homemade TV Dinners

I’ve had lots of requests to bring back posts with money saving tips and as everyone’s talking about rising food prices, I thought we’d make that the focus of this one.

I’ve always hated wasting food. One way I use dinner leftovers is to eat them for lunch the following day. That’s one tip, but sometimes seeing the same food from one day to the next, makes it seems like your sacrificing something. Feel that way too often and it’s the quickest route to straying off your budget.

Last year, I came up with something new and it’s to make your own homemade TV dinners. Not only are you using up food that might disappear at the back of the fridge and never get eaten, but you’re saving money, time, and eating what is hopefully, a much healthier version of these types of meals.

I bought a pack of the meal prepping containers. Some were for things like lasagna and others have three dividers so you can add things like a chicken breast, rice and a vegetable. You can buy them in bulk which makes them cheaper. Look for ones that can be used in the freezer, microwave, and are dishwasher safe because you want to use them again and again.

The ones I got are study and I think I’ve only had one of the tops split and I had to toss it. After each dinner, I make up my own version of TV dinners with anything that’s leftover.

For example, last night it was chicken pot pie and mashed potatoes. Last week, I made two stirfry and rice TV dinners, and two chili with cornbread.

I put them in the freezer and use them for times when I’m too busy to cook dinner or when I need to go to the grocery store but haven’t got the time.

They’re also great if you’re on a tight food budget and need something to tide you over until the next pay check rolls in. You can even buy food when it’s on sale, cook it and make your own combination of TV dinners. You could even throw in a dessert too.