Have you ever wondered how fast food restaurants keep their prices so low? Take a close look at their menu and you'll notice that many of the items contain the same ingredients. This is also a wonderful way to save money in the kitchen. Instead of buying bags and bags of ingredients, why not consider preparing a menu that revolves around only a few ingredients? Not only does this save money, but it ensures that everything you purchase actually gets used. This week, I'll share tips on how to prepare a menu that saves money and time. I'll even throw in a couple recipes.

I find that the easiest way to prepare this type of menu is to start with the sales papers. For example, if hamburger was on sale as well as onions and green peppers, I might prepare a meatloaf one night and spaghetti another night. Here are a couple recipes to get you started:

Oniony Mushroom Meatloaf
Serves 8

1.5 pounds of 85% lean ground beef
1 packet of dry onion soup mix
½ cup of sour cream
½ of a large green bell pepper, pureed
½ of a large onion, pureed
2 eggs
1-2 cups of dry bread crumbs
4 ounces of sliced mushrooms
Olive oil
1 (10 oz.) jar of beef gravy

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients.
2. Stir in one cup of the bread crumbs and add more if needed.
3. Put inside a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until cooked through.
4. In the meantime, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil, drain off the excess oil and add the gravy. Continue to cook until heated through.
5. Slice up half the meatloaf and serve with gravy and mashed potatoes.

Quick Spaghetti and Meatballs
Serves 4

½ of a large green bell pepper, chopped
½ of a large onion, chopped
4 ounces of sliced mushrooms
Olive oil
1 (16 oz.) jar of spaghetti sauce
½ of leftover meatloaf, sliced into large cubes
1 pound of spaghetti, cooked

1. Saute the vegetables in olive oil.
2. Once the vegetables are cooked, drain off the olive oil and add the meatloaf and spaghetti sauce.
3. Heat through and serve over cooked pasta with a side salad and garlic bread.

Do you ever wish you could just go home and have your meal mostly prepared? You're in luck. There are ways you can prepare two meals at one time. Not only does this make meals quicker to prepare, but it also saves money by ensuring that you use all of the ingredients you purchase. These meals use many of the same ingredients and reduce your need to clean out the fridge each week. This week, we'll focus on a couple meals prepared with chicken.

Spanish Rice With Mexican Spiced Chicken
Serves 4

8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 boxes of Spanish Rice mix, plus the ingredients needed to prepare it
2 (16-ounce) cans of enchilada sauce

1. Mix the spices together and rub onto the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees until cooked through, about 25 to 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, prepare the Spanish rice according to the package directions.
3. When the rice is cooked, stir in the enchilada sauce and heat through.
4. Serve four of the chicken breasts with half of the rice mixture along with some fat-free refried beans and warmed whole wheat tortillas.

Chicken Rice Enchiladas
Serves 4

8 whole wheat tortillas
4 leftover chicken breasts, shredded
4 cups of leftover rice mixture
1 cup of enchilada sauce
1 cup of 2-percent shredded cheddar cheese
Sour cream
Green onions

1. Fill the tortillas with the chicken and rice mixture and place in a baking dish.
2. Top with the enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown and heated through, about 30 minutes.
3. Serve with sour cream and green onions.

Cooking doesn't have to be difficult or time consuming to be healthy. When you take time to prepare ingredients for the next day, meals go together in a snap.