Anakin's Favorite Green Beans & Sausage

Anakin (11) calls it “the best food I’ve ever had.” Tonight he ate a large dinner plate full.

Green Beans and Sausage
Modified from Fix-It and Forget It Cookbook (crockpot recipes)

Here’s my version. It’s been doubled to feed my big family. I use a 6 qt. Crockpot.

2 quarts green beans, cut into 2” pieces (I use frozen, thawed. In the summer I use raw.)
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/2-1 small green or red pepper, chopped (I freeze them in the summer, cut up.)
16 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 t. dried thyme
3/4 t. salt
1 lb turkey kielbasa (a rope sausage, cut into small bites)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. Cover. Cook on high about 4 hours (without lifting lid!) In the summer I also add zucchini or summer squash.

Serve over noodles. I like to use penne. I make a regular batch and a gluten free batch for 'LilDude.

Tonight, Grandma and Grandpa came for dinner. We had this dish, berries from the freezer and the squash/pineapple recipe I posted earlier. This was my frugal attempt of the day. My husband had made plans for everyone to go out to dinner. I volunteered to cook instead. Here’s the breakdown of the price difference:

Mexican Restaurant (sit down)

5 adults x $9 = $45 (my oldest eats an adult portion)
3 kids x $4 = $12 (two of these kiddos would eat an adult portion normally...but we do well with portion sizes at this restaurant)

Tip = $10

Total = $67 (this is without ordering any drinks…just water)

Ingredients in Tonight’s Meal
2 quarts green beans
2-3 carrots, chopped
1/2-1 small green or red pepper, chopped (I freeze them in the summer, cut up.)
16 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 t. dried thyme
3/4 t. salt
1 lb turkey kielbasa
3 c. (or more) cooked, mashed butternut squash
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 (20-oz or less) can pineapple**
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
1/8 t. ground nutmeg
1/3 c. chopped peanuts
berries
noodles

Garden: green beans, peppers, squash (cost of seeds divided between umpteen meals = pennies…I’ll estimate high and say $1.50 to include some energy cost for freezing the beans)
Berries = free from a friend in exchange for green beans from our garden
Grocery: spices, peanuts (from bulk bins), sugar, tomato sauce, carrots = high estimate, $2.50
Kielbasa = $2
Pineapple = 50 cents (used partial can, saving remainder for smoothies)
Noodles = $3.50 (including more $ gluten-free)

Total = $10
(and we have leftovers that will cover husband's lunch tomorrow...as well as squash for at least one more side veggie/meal)

Savings = $57 for tonight’s meal--which doesn’t include the gas saved by not having to drive to town or the leftover food

In this case, the $57 can be considered “income” for not working. Had I worked outside of the home today, I would not have had the time or energy to cook even this simple meal. When I work—which I do, very occasionally—I’m wiped out. I admire anyone who can work a full day outside the home and then come home and cook a meal. Not me!