# What's your convenience food weakness?



## Horseyrider (Aug 8, 2010)

Let's face it. While most all of us here are 'from scratch' kinds of cooks, we all keep a little something or two (or three!) in the pantry or freezer to shave a little work off our load. Might be commercial chicken stock, or frozen pizza, or even the infamous blue box of mac n' cheese. 

What's your convenience food weakness? Commercial bread? Oreos? Little Debbies?


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## katydidagain (Jun 11, 2004)

Banquet Fried Chicken. I can't make it; this is cheaper than heading to the Colonel's.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Well, besides storebought Pasta my convenience food/cheat is Morning Star Farms 'Chik'n Nuggets' (vegetarian) and S&B Golden Curry sauce mix. (I make a good Curry from scratch but my son prefers the storebought)


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## whodunit (Mar 29, 2004)

Usually bread and soups or chili.


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## arcticow (Oct 8, 2006)

Canned beans, corn chips in some form, and some sorta dressing to pu on cabbage or lettuce just quickly torn up. And GOOD onions.


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## mekasmom (Jan 19, 2010)

Horseyrider said:


> Let's face it. While most all of us here are 'from scratch' kinds of cooks, we all keep a little something or two (or three!) in the pantry or freezer to shave a little work off our load. Might be commercial chicken stock, or frozen pizza, or even the infamous blue box of mac n' cheese.
> 
> What's your convenience food weakness? Commercial bread? Oreos? Little Debbies?


Potato chips. Not a lick of nutritional value. But we love them.


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## calliemoonbeam (Aug 7, 2007)

Kraft Deluxe American macaroni and cheese, lol, the kind with the cheese sauce in a packet, not the powder. I can't make it that cheap from scratch, it's quick and easy and so good and creamy. I make it plain or add things like tuna, salmon or ham and maybe veggies like peas or broccoli. I wait until it's on sale and then buy 6-8 boxes at a time.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

I buy frozen pizzas for times when the kids need something quick and I am unwell or working on something.
Salad dressings. Ketchup and HP sauce.
Potato chips occasionally.
Baked beans.


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## Jokarva (Jan 17, 2010)

Totino's party pizzas and Wegman's frozen veggie lasagna (which we had for dinner last night).


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## motdaugrnds (Jul 3, 2002)

Tuna fish (packaged; not canned) & purple onion (diced) with mayo on rye toast OR just a package of tuna and some crackers

Elbow mac with diced tomatoes

Baby Okra with "stewed" tomatoes

Frozen (preparred in advance for just such times as I don't feel like cooking): (fried chicken or pizza or stew/soup or roasted goat or burritoes) Just thaw and eat!


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## suzyhomemaker09 (Sep 24, 2004)

Hmmm...
Pasta , tortillas , bottled salsa for DH who just doesn't like home made on his eggs, Tortilla chips fall in there with tortillas I guess...hard to fuss with making them when I can buy some very decent ones at Aldi for less than $1 a bag. Used to be bottled pasta sauce but lately it just doesn't taste good at all.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Tortillas and tortilla chips.

There's a Thai sweet red chili sauce that I love and haven't had any luck duplicating, so I have to buy it.

Bottled artichoke hearts. Can't grow artichokes here, so have to buy them.

Tapatia hot sauce. Yum. Sesame oil. And my family likes Sweet Baby Ray's barbecue sauce.


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## Stephen in SOKY (Jun 6, 2006)

Campbell's Tomato Soup. I'm sure it's preservative packed and sodium laden, but good grief it's quick, easy and good. I can't can anything that thick at home so I always keep it on hand.


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

Canned stew.

I LOVE this thread!


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## pattycake (May 16, 2010)

A couple of nights per month I will have an "aluminum foil" meal. I love frozen french fries along with frozen Tyson chicken strips. I have the cooking of the fries down to a perfection. This is like eating out to me but is much less expensive as I always buy on sale with a coupon.


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## hippygirl (Apr 3, 2010)

I'll buy hot dogs and Hamburger Helper occasionally. What I usually do, though, is make HUGE pots of beans, and soups and then freeze in quart bags.


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## lathermaker (May 7, 2010)

oregon woodsmok said:


> Tortillas and tortilla chips.
> 
> There's a Thai sweet red chili sauce that I love and haven't had any luck duplicating, so I have to buy it.
> 
> ...


What brand of the Thai Sweet Red Chili sauce do you like? I've had it in restaurants, but so far the stuff I've bought has been really bad.
I'm with ya on the Artichoke Hearts.


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2011)

I buy all my condiments pre-made. But I do try to get organic or all natural as much as possible (I read the labels). Kraft mayo and Kraft salad dressings being the chemical-laden exceptions. Since I can get them free, I do. Which helps free up money for other things.

I keep potato flakes on hand, but I have 2 primary uses for them. One, to thicken homemade potato-onion soup and two, I thicken organic pureed squash to use like mashed potatoes.

I keep corn chips and canned chili on hand for the occasional frito pie.

I buy pre-made pasta, tortillas, and breads.

Other convenience foods I keep around:

Frozen pizza
Michael Angelo's frozen entrees.
Egg rolls
Ghirardelli brownie mix
Battered fish fillets and battered shrimp (heat-n-eat).
Alexia sweet potato fries (and once in a while I get Alexia waffle fries).

I suppose some people consider canned and frozen veggies and fruits to be convenience foods. They're certainly convenient for me.


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

oregon woodsmok said:


> Tortillas and tortilla chips.
> 
> There's a Thai sweet red chili sauce that I love and haven't had any luck duplicating, so I have to buy it.
> 
> ...


I am looking for a really good Thai sweet red chili sauce or recipe! Which brand do you buy? Is it good for glazing chicken?


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## Our Little Farm (Apr 26, 2010)

ladycat said:


> I buy all my condiments pre-made. But I do try to get organic or all natural as much as possible (I read the labels). Kraft mayo and Kraft salad dressings being the chemical-laden exceptions. Since I can get them free, I do. Which helps free up money for other things.
> 
> I keep potato flakes on hand, but I have 2 primary uses for them. One, to thicken homemade potato-onion soup and two, I thicken organic pureed squash to use like mashed potatoes.
> 
> ...


I had forgotten about breaded shrimp, yes we buy those when on sale and love them!
I also buy egg rolls sometimes, but there are only 2 of us in the family that like them. 

Right now the economy does not look good. I think food prices are going to rocket. There are some things I cannot make, sugar, coffee and some veggies that do not grow well here. SO I will be buying those canned or frozen as soon as I can.


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## JanS (Jul 28, 2002)

My biggest convenience is an entire category....things for my daughter's lunch. When the kids were small they had to eat what I gave them. It's a different story for a 17-year-old. Teens are perfectly capable of mooching off friends, allowing the boy/girlfriend with a job to buy them junk, or just plain not eating if they don't like what is served. I try to keep things on the healthy side but a lot of junk does go in that lunch box, because I know it will get eaten.


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## oregon woodsmok (Dec 19, 2010)

Now I'm really going to confess my secret shameful weakness: M&M's Peanut.

The chili sauce I buy is made by Thai Kitchen. Costco sometimes has it in the large bottle. I've bought other brands that looked yummy and were a huge disappointment. Thai Kitchen also makes really tasty rice mixes that are labeled gluten free. The lemon grass rice is quite nice.

The very first Thai sweet chili sauce I ever had was this tiny little bottle of imported stuff that I bought just to try it. I fell in love, but have never seen it since.


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## Scavenger (Jan 1, 2011)

Instant potatoes, but ONLY to thicken stews. Works great and gives a little more flavor, especially if you get the kind with garlic.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Petite frozen peas. I raise the sugar pod peas to use during the season. Not worth the hassle to shell, don't like canned peas and I don't have a freezer....James


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## wanda1950 (Jan 18, 2009)

hot dogs, mac & cheese, gravy mixes. Ranch dressing mix & powdered cheddar cheese from the local Mennonite store.


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## DW (May 10, 2002)

Cake Mix...my hubby thinks desserts are mandatory. I usually make most from scratch but that cake mix sure is handy!


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Yum! Sweet Chili sauce, we love it on so many things. The brand we usually get from the asian market is the best ever, can't 'read' who makes it, can't 'read' the ingredients, doesn't matter, it's yummy and oh so hot!


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## where I want to (Oct 28, 2008)

Bread and frozen potstickers. I've made potstickers from scratch and they are good but such a lot of fiddle work wrapping each little one.


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## marinemomtatt (Oct 8, 2006)

Those homemade potstickers, are they fried or steamed?


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## lucyp (Jan 30, 2011)

Bagged lettuce, barbecue sauce, tortillas, pasta, minced garlic, shredded fat free cheese, salad dressing, veggie chips, and salsa.


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## lonelyfarmgirl (Feb 6, 2005)

I don't make any condiments, so there are those. 
I always keep frozen cheese pizza, because I can put anything on it and add more cheese, plus hot dogs and hamburgers from our own meat and there is always extra sharp cheddar. My DH would die without cheese and crackers.


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## mountainlaurel (Mar 5, 2010)

I buy all condiments. When my potatoes that I raised are about gone, I'll buy frozen frenchfries,

But my dd works in a Mennonite bulk food store. So when I need something I just say, "Samantha, bring me home x and so" Last week I ran up a 50 dollar bill with her. She reminded me too. If you've been in a bulk food store, you know they carry stuff like donught mix, muffin mixes, etc. Sure they pack it up bulk but I didn't make it so it's covenience to me.

Cream of soups are also another staple I keep on hand.


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## Firefly (Dec 7, 2005)

Instant mashed potatoes. I just love them with liver and onions!


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## painterdsm (Jun 15, 2010)

Donuts!!!


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## SueMc (Jan 10, 2010)

Frozen Naan bread, straight out of freezer into iron skillet to brown. Sabra brand hummus with good olive oil drizzled on top. I could eat that for supper often!


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