Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Money Saving Meals

Sandra Lee shows us how to feed our family using techniques she says, like this cookbook, the pantry, the deli and the local bakery. There are 10 chapters of fix-it-fast recipes for every meal. She has recipes for appetizers, sides, entrees, desserts and drinks using frozen, canned and boxed foods. There is even a section on pantry cooking.

She’s got a complete list of pantry items that one should have, you could even xerox it and using a china marker keep a running list of what you have and what you need. This would certainly be a money saver because just with adding a little fresh protein you’d definitely have a low cost meal. The other chapter I really like is the fix it and freeze it chapter. This allows you to buy a big ticket item like meat when it’s on sale and then by adding other ingredients you can freeze it to have another nice meal yet a second night. That’s always a very frugal $$ saver.

Her other technique is to show you that by making one outstanding entree you can supplement with “cheaper” sides without anyone noticing or loss of presentation. This cookbook would make a great birthday gift for a family struggling with their food budget and include a grocery store gift certificate. I’m sure they would appreciate it.

None of the meals are frugal to the point of making you feel cheap. Many of the budget conscious cookbooks only tell you to feed your family beans and pasta. This cookbook does include those recipes but because of Sandra Lee’s presentation and 30% home-made skills it doesn’t feel “cheap.” It meals like any other meal.

She is one nice lady. I can see why she’s gotten so far, she knows how to take care of the family and homecook making anyone who picks up her cookbooks feel like a gourmet chef. WTG Sandra Lee.

Rating: 5 / 5

These recipes cost even more than the usual, because of the use of premium grocery products.

It’s already something of a splurge to get pre-made ingredients like a roasted chicken, but then to put that into a casserole with even more ingredients? Not a cost savings!

Also, semi-homemade does not mean fewer ingredients- most of these have as many as a scratch-built recipe.

I’ll stick to simpler preparation with more basic ingredients.

It all looks delicious, but will be disappointing if you are seeking cost savings or time savings.
Rating: 2 / 5

First off, I will caution people by saying that I did not find these to be particularly money saving if following Sandra Lee’s brand recommendations. If you buy store brands, they are indeed quite thrifty, but Lee’s brands often cost double the store brand. Having said that, once again Lee delivers fast, easy, delicious results. I’ve made about 10 recipes out of here and all have been HUGE hits. I have recommended it to everyone I know.
Rating: 4 / 5

I was looking more for family dinners, maybe using rotisserie chicken, rice, pasta, etc… There were recipes in here that sounded pretty good, not good enough to inspire me to make any of them yet:)
Rating: 3 / 5

Like many who picked up this cookbook, the idea of “money saving meals” is what sold me. I’m not a big Sandra Lee fan, but I was all over the idea of saving money on my grocery bills. While I appreciate the sentiment, Sandra’s meals aren’t all that money saving, especially if you use the brands Sandra suggested. While they aren’t top of the line, there are other brands out there that would save more money. The recipes themselves also have a large number of ingredients, some of which aren’t exactly cheap. While the recipes themselves are great for family and quite tasty, they don’t exactly save you money.

That aside, Sandra offers up some great ideas for leftovers and to maximize the amount of time you spend in the kitchen in conjunction with some crowd-pleasing recipes that are great for family dinners, entertaining and special get-togethers. Recipes include hefty entrees, sandwiches, salads, desserts, Sandra’s signature cocktails, pastas and other foods such as Greek Chicken and Rice, Creamy Penne Pesto Bake, Chicken Lasagna Roll-ups, Enchilada Lasagna and Sausage-stuffed Mushrooms. The recipes are easy to follow, down-to-earth and less foody, great for family and tasty.

There’s also an ample amount of food photography here, which makes the food comes alive on the page. I have to admit that I’ve been spoiled by better, but it’s not the worst I’ve ever seen.

Sandra’s cooking abilities shine through in this tasty collection of recipes, but her money saving sentiments don’t really come alive here. I would have preferred if that was a stronger focus of the cookbook, but I can’t get too upset when the result was so tasty.

Rating: 4 / 5