Quick and Cheap Meals

Love Hamburger Helper™, but can’t afford the price? Make your own!

As the title says, it’s quick and cheap – two things a mom loves – and it tastes great.

Mom’s Burger Casserole

1/2 – 1 lb lean ground beef, depending on family preference
2 packets beef gravy mix
1 bag egg noodles
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, chopped fine
2 cups water
Salt/pepper to taste

To Make: In a saucepan, brown onion and garlic in a bit of oil until soft. Add burger and one packet of gravy mix. Stir until well mixed and mostly browned. Mix in 2nd gravy packet and add both cups of water. Stir well. Reduce heat to low.

Boil water in a second pot for egg noodles. When the water is rapidly boiling, add noodles, stirring constantly until water begins boiling again. When noodles reach desired softness, drain, and place in serving dish. Add burger sauce immediately and toss.

Substitutions: If you like cheesy mac, use 1 packet of gravy mix and one packet of cheese from boxed macaroni and cheese or 1 cup fresh grated cheddar. Like stroganoff? Add sour cream before tossing.

Servings: I have no idea. It feeds two sons with huge appetites, a 16yo daughter, and a mom. In RDA terms, that’s probably 6-8 servings.

Greetings!

Welcome to The Mom Speaks!

I hope that in the future this can become a great community of moms – and grandmoms – who can offer their expertise, share lots of laughter, and hand out tissues and chocolate when needed.

I’m sure you’re wondering who on earth I am. Well, I’m the mom of two sons: 21-year old RC and 18-year-old PK; and one daughter – the fabulous “Miss M” who will be sixteen in a month. We live in scenic, rural northeastern Pennsylvania nearly on the New York border.

Somehow, I managed to get my children this far without anyone having been arrested, put in rehab, or being killed by me. Not even after using my favorite – expensive – skin lotion to lube the Slip’n’Slide, or getting a third speeding ticket in two weeks, or having their first auto accident at age four… rolling my SUV into his father’s car. (Try explaining that to the insurance agent!)

I learned a lot of things the hard way, but what really got me through was the moms who’d already been there and done all that, who showed me what to do – and what not to do – without taking over or making me doubt my abilities as a mother.

Without my mom and aunts, older cousins, and friends, I would never have survived those early, sleep-deprived weeks with a newborn, the terrible two’s, the first days of kindergarten and the first emergency room trips — and all the later trips — talking about puberty and then having “The Talk,” and dealing with dating, sex, and responsibility issues during my childrens’ pre-teen and adolescent years.

I’m not sure where this blog will go or what wild territory it might cover, but I’m going to start off with my small stock of tips and tricks for dealing with children of all ages (especially your own), some advice for new moms of all ages, easy recipes and ideas for saving on your food budget, as well as hints for cleaning and dealing with clutter.

I’ll also be sharing a lot of my favorite stories about my kids, like the time my oldest decided to try jumping off the porch roof using a sheet as a parachute. Or the time my daughter misheard the lyrics to a song and asked me if I’d be throwing my panties in the fountain of youth. Or the time, my middle child misheard the state trooper who’d pulled me over for a broken taillight and thought I was about to be arrested.

I’ll probably even throw in some other stuff I’ve learned through the years about dealing with divorce when you have children, throwing birthday parties that don’t break the bank, ending (or at least easing) the homework and supper-time hassles, and learning to accept that perfection is an unattainable goal.

Parenting isn’t easy, but just having another voice to say, “You’re doing fine,” can make it a little easier.