Hunk of Meat Mondays: Budget Saving Meals for Show Moms

Tired of eating over priced state fair food?

Tired of watching your money run out the door?

So am I!

Showing cattle, or any species, is not cheap. Life as a show mom is not easy nor cheap.  Showing cattle, or any other species, can also be expensive. You have entry fees, hotel expenses, travel expenses and miscellaneous items that accumulate during your trip.  I couldn't stand the thought of watching my money float away and having my kids eat one greasy cheeseburger after another.

So, I took the time to figure out how to use my crock pot at shows.  In addition to cooking meals in my crockpot, I also make fresh sweet tea every morning at the hotel.  Those cold brew tea bags are a blessing!  It brings me a great deal of comfort to give my family a cooked meal at least once a day!

 Here are some of my money saving meals that I use while on the road at cattle shows.  Simply figure your meals out in advance, make your lists, pack the slow cooker, a few plastic spoons, slow cooker bags, and the utensils to eat with. Then buy your food at the grocery store as you need it.

Chicken & Black Bean Stoup - Cooks in 4 hours in the crockpot. Serve it with tortilla chips or tortillas

Cowboy Stew - Make this stew in advance and freeze it.  I made this last fall before NAILE and it stayed frozen in a cooler in my car for three days! Then warm it in the crockpot.

Pepsi Pork Chops - Throw in a can of potatoes and you have a meal!

Smoked Pork Chops with Hashbrown Casserole - So easy and so delicious! This is one of my family's favorites!

Cheesy Hamburger Burritos - Brown your hamburger in advance and freeze it. Then throw it in the cooler and keep it on ice. The meat will stay frozen for 2 or 3 days.

I hope these recipes save you & your family a little money. I'll have another update this fall on more meals to make a shows. Oh - and if you want to know how to make the sweet tea, drop me an email. I'll gladly share my secret!



Hunk of Meat Mondays: Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta

Ground Beef.....

Each year we get a beef butchered so we can have meat at our fingertips. And each year, I clean out the freezer with what was left over from the previous year to use up.

And each year, I have the same thing leftover.

Ground Beef.

Sometimes I feel as though I run out of meal ideas for ground beef. I even give 6 to 10 lbs to my babysitter once a month - just to help me get throught it faster. Plus I know what beef my children are eating.

 Let's face it - we eventually get tired of casseroles and hamburger and tacos and spaghetti and we go searching for something different.

I found it. Something different. A crowd pleaser.

Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta.

Hunk of Meat Mondays: Texas Steak Rub

I love grilling season. Nothing tastes as good as a fresh piece of meat hot off the grill - especially a juicy steak!

Iron Chef Challenge: Canned Tomatoes

This is the first time I have participated in Ott A's Iron Chef Challenge. When I saw what the ingredient was, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Canned Tomatoes.

Hunk of Meat Monday: Beef Brisket

When the word brisket is mentioned at our house, the people start salivating like Pavolov's dogs. It's insane!

I love cooking a brisket and I don't think enough people give it a fair shake. Nothing tastes as good as a slow cooked brisket. Give it a try, you might be surprised. And people might start act strangely!

Thankful Thursdays

When I grow up....

I want to be just like my grandma Topsy. The woman's talents with a needle and thread are unlimited. She has been sewing for sixty years. In fact, last month at the age of 91, she replaced the motor in her sewing machine and without the assistance of a man! Go grandma!!

The Happy Birthday Wall Hanging

Her creativity knows no limits.



John Deere Wall Hanging

Farm, home, seasonal.....wall hangings of any kind.



Christmas Quilt

 Blankets, table runners, placemats..........

Star Quilt

Clothing, sweatshirts, and my favorite thing...



Feed Me Beef Bibs

her bibs!!!! My children lived in these bibs, of course, that is because I LOVE BEEF!

(Had to get my line in since it is Beef Month.)

I hope I can sew like Topsy some day. Oh.....and if you are interested in bibs or table runners, contact me. Grandma loves sewing and would gladly make and sell her items!

Make sure you link up to Thankful Thursdays!

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Hunk of Meat Mondays - Texas BBQ Beef

Nothing like slow roasting some chuck roast in the crockpot, shredding it and making Texas Beef BBQ. I love to slow roast the meat over the weekend and use it for a meal in the middle of the week. It saves this full time, working mother time and energy!

I put two chuck roasts in the slow cooker, but first, I put in one of those handy, dandy crock pot liners! I don't know who invented those bags, but she's one smart woman!

Slow roast the meat all day.

I shredded my meat with two forks and place in a tupperware container to store in the frig.

Some of the key ingredients.

You can see the ground mustard, ketchup, pepper, V8 juice, and brown sugar.

The finished product after 30 minutes of simmering.

This recipe is great! I often slow cook enough meat to make a double batch of BBQ. We eat one batch for supper one evening and I freeze a second batch. Happy Cooking!