Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 3:50 PM
With the economy in the shape its in right now, everyone must learn to make the most of what they have. Its time to quit running here and there without planning ahead and making the most of the fuel in our vehicles, time to quit making last-minute choices for our meals, and time to start using our brain to greater capacity. In other words, its time to get back to the basics and that's what I'm going to talk about here for a moment.
Let's face it-our dollars aren't going as far as they did a year ago! Many folks are already living paycheck to paycheck, and with the budget being stretched beyond its limits nowadays, we must learn to cut back. One way to do this is by planning ahead. We know our children have birthdays, so let's keep our eyes open for bargains throughout the year, pick them up when they're on sale, and put them back for gift-giving. The same thing applies to many other areas, as well. Stock up on supplies whenever the price is lowest. If your budget won't allow you to stock up all at once, just purchase an extra pack of toilet paper, or an extra bottle of shampoo, and put them back in the storage closet. Forget they're there, and go ahead and buy it again when the sale rolls around the next time, and do the same thing. Before you know it, you'll have an extra 6 months worth of supplies stored away! I do this with many items, including canned goods. The key to this is rotating your "stock." When you purchase something new, put it behind what you already have on hand and use the oldest items first. You won't have to worry about expiration dates that way! It's not a bargain if you keep it so long it expires and is no longer usable!
Another way to save is to plan ahead with your meals. Sit down and make a list of your family's favorite entrees. You may have a dozen things listed, or you may end up with a list of 30 or more! Either way is fine. After that, sit down with another piece of paper, and plan your menus for a week or two (or even a month, if you want to!). Go through the grocer's sale papers and make a mental note of what is a bargain this week. Then go to your entree list and find those things that can be prepared with what's on sale. If there's a great buy on ground beef, then plan to use a lot of it. If nothing else, purchase extra and freeze it for the next week's meals. If chicken is on sale, do the same. It helps to freeze things in portion sizes, or even to cook ahead and freeze things for later use.
I like to make entrees ahead of time and freeze them for those days when I'm rushing (okay, yes, that's nearly every day, but you get my point!). If I'm making spaghetti sauce, I'll double up and then freeze a quart or two. Sometimes I'll even cook an extra box of spaghetti noodles and make a dish of baked spaghetti to pop in the freezer. That way I only need to pull it out the night before and let it thaw in the refrigerator, top it with mozzarella the next day and bake it for an hour or so. Served with a salad on the side, it's become an easy meal for me to get on the table to feed a hungry family!
As the last of the summer produce goes through the markets, pick up some extra and freeze or can it. Broccoli can be cut into pieces, blanched, and then frozen (plunge into boiling water for 1 minute and then immediately put into ice water for a couple of minutes to blanch it). You can spread it out on a cookie sheet in the freezer, and then when its frozen, bag it in freezer bags, label and date it, and you'll have frozen broccoli when you need it. The same works for corn (yes, even on the cob), carrots, green beans, and many other veggies.
When planning your menu, think about what you can make for one night and then reuse the leftovers for another night. An example: I made chili the other night, and then took the leftovers and made it into a topping for spaghetti. I served the spaghetti on the plate, topped it with the chili, then put diced onions and shredded cheddar on top of that. Very good and very popular at a certain restaurant I love to go to! If I had had any more leftover chili, I could have made a chili pie out of it--pour the chili into a baking dish and top with spoonfuls of either thick cornbread batter or biscuit dough. Bake until the chili is hot and the topping is browned, and you have a delicious chili pot pie! There are many possibilities (don't forget the ever popular chili dogs!).
As you can see, it pays to plan ahead, especially with your menus. Don't just think about today, give thought to how you can simplify your life and your budget by planning ahead a bit. That's called Getting Back to the Basics in Life!
Posted on Wednesday, September 24, 2008 at 3:41 PM
We all want our children to have healthy snacks! However, it's much too easy to just pick up prepackaged snacks at the grocer's or run through a drive-thru somewhere. Well, I've found a recipe that is not only quick and easy to prepare, but much healthier for your children (and you!) than anything prepackaged. I'll give the original recipe as it was shared with me, and in parentheses will note the changes/choices I made. My grandchildren absolutely love these--they've quickly become a favorite after-school treat in my home!
Crispy Rice Treats
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Natural chunky-style peanut butter (I used Smucker's Natural and increased it to 3/4 cup)
6 cups crispy brown rice cereal (I used Kashi 7-Grain cereal)
2/3 cup chopped dried cherries (or dried blueberries, raisins, dried cranberries, or carob chips)
Cooking spray
Combine honey and peanut butter in a large pot and heat over medium-low heat until melted, about 2-3 minutes. Add cereal and cherries and stir to combine until mixture is sticky. Press into a 9"x13" pan sprayed with cooking spray. Let cool, and then chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes. Cut into squares (or rectangles, or diamonds, or use cookie cutters for fun shapes). Enjoy!
Baked Steak is a treat that I didn't have until I moved to the Appalachian region. My precious Mama used to make Fried Steak with Sawmill Gravy, but Baked Steak is much more tender! Here is the easiest way I have found to make it:
Baked Steak
8-10 cubed steaks
1 cup seasoned flour (flour mixed with seasoning salt, garlic powder, cracked pepper)
Dredge your cubed steaks in the flour mixture and brown in a bit of veg. oil on the stove (I use my large iron skillet for this). Drain well and then transfer to a large Crock-Pot. Top with the mushrooms. Combine the soup with the beef broth (or water) and pour over the steak and mushrooms.
Cook on Low for 7-8 hours (or more until you're ready to serve).
Serve with Mashed Potatoes, Turnip (or Collard or Mustard or Mixed) Greens, Tossed Salad, and crusty bread.
I have written a special post about my Mothers on my other blog, Nuggets of Wisdom, for you to enjoy and hopefully be encouraged by. May you have a most blessed and glorious Mother's Day today!
Here in West Virginia, dandelions are a delicacy (I imagine they are everywhere once they've been tasted!). Anyhow, in honor of the season, I thought I'd share a couple of recipes with you that were shared with me for dandelions.
Dandelions
IF YOU CAN'T BEAT 'EM, EAT 'EM!
Toss together:
4 cups dandelion greens, cut up
3 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 tablespoons minced onion
Fry 3 slices of bacon. Remove bacon slices and add 2 tablespoons of flour to the drippings in the skillet. Stir until browned. Blend in:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
Add crumbled bacon. Cook 3-5 minutes. Pour over greens; serve immediately.
Dandelion Gravy
THE KIND MOTHER USED TO MAKE
In a frying pan, heat butter or oil and enough flour to make a smooth paste. Brown nicely. Add some cold water, stirring briskly until smooth. Add milk gradually and cook to thicken. Remove from heat and add salt to taste and some vinegar and honey. Pour over prepared chopped fresh young dandelion greens to suit your taste. Add a few hard boiled eggs and onions. Also good for endive.
Eat with potatoes cooked in their jackets.
These are good for supper during a weeknight, or especially on a Saturday evening. Enjoy!
With grocery costs skyrocketing, I have been reducing the serving sizes here at home. I think many folks are doing this, not only for their budgets, but for their general health, as well. I ran across the following information while going through some of the old paperwork from my daycare, and thought I would share it with you here. It takes a bit of the mystery out of portion controls! I received this in a packet from the River Valley Family Day Care Food Program a few years ago...
3 ounces of meat is about the size and thickness of a deck of playing cards or an audiotape cassette.
A medium apple or peach is about the size of a tennis ball.
1 ounce of cheese is about the size of 4 stacked dice (2 side by side and 2 more stacked on top of those).
1/2 cup of ice cream is about the size of a racquetball or tennis ball.
1 cup of mashed potatoes or broccoli is about the size of your fist.
1 teaspoon of butter or peanut butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.
1 ounce of nuts or small candies equals one handful.
MOST IMPORTANT:
Especially if you're cutting calories, remember to keep your diet nutritious!
2-4 servings from the Milk Group for calcium
2-3 servings from the Meat Group for iron.
3-5 servings from the Vegetable Group for Vitamin A.
It seems like every time I walk in the grocer's, I come out with sticker shock! As I'm sure you know, the prices of oil and fuel are driving up the prices of food items in many areas. When it comes to budgeting, you have to pay your tithe, your rent/mortgage payment, your utilities, your vehicle insurance, your vehicle's fuel, and you have to buy food. These just become the necessities of life, and one area that we can try to save some money in is the food we buy.
Personally, I have started reducing the amount of meat I buy. Americans eat way too much meat--much more than is necessary, or healthy. When I do buy it, I try to buy the leanest cuts that I can. I'm also changing from ground beef to ground turkey, or even ground chicken, for casseroles, soups, sauces, etc. I have tried to have a couple of days each week that are *meatless* and replacing the protein on those days with eggs, cheese, legumes, etc. Not only is this healthier, but also more economical.
Another area that is quite expensive in the grocer's are the aisles with the convenience food mixes. You know what I'm talking about! And yes, they can come in quite handy, especially when you've been out and about all day, rushing here and there, trying to do a dozen or more things at the same time from sunup until way past anyone's bedtime. Yes, we all have those days, and mixes really are nice then.
An alternative, though, are freezer meals--casseroles, soups, stews, etc. that you have prepared ahead of time and frozen for just those kinds of days. In the upcoming days/weeks I will be including some of them here, but one thing I'll say now to get you started is this--when you fix a casserole (for instance, a pan of lasagne), double it up and fix it in 2 different casserole dishes. In one of the dishes, though, line it with heavy-duty aluminum foil before assembling the casserole. Spray the foil with veg. cooking spray, just like you would the dish itself. Assemble your casseroles, pop one in the oven for supper, and pop the other in the freezer for a freezer meal in the future when you need it. It's really that simple! (Just take it out of the pan after it's frozen, double wrap it in heavy-duty foil, label/date it, and store in the freezer; put back in the casserole dish when you get ready to thaw/bake it.) You can take it out the night before (if you know the next day will be rushed/hectic), or even heat it up on a lower temperature for a longer period of time from its frozen state, if it's a last-minute idea. If your microwave is big enough, thaw it in there if you need to (but not if you've used the aluminum foil!).
But to get back to the mixes I was talking about. Here is a recipe for a mix that can be used in many different ways, and will not only make your life easier, but is more economical than what you buy in the store. It also has the added benefit of not being filled with chemicals and preservatives (other than what's already in the ingredients you use). I'm including the recipe for the mix, as well as recipes for using it. I'm not sure where I originally got this from, though. All I wrote on the paper is that it was from an Extension Office--but I'm not sure which state!
Whole Wheat Convenience Mix
3 cups whole wheat flour
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups nonfat dry milk
1 cup canola oil
1/2 cup wheat germ (optional)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup baking powder
1 tablespoon salt
Put all ingredients except oil in large bowl and mix well with a spoon. Mix in oil with pastry blender or fork until finely distributed. Store in airtight container in the refrigerator (use within a month), or in the freezer. (Note: I put it in gallon size ziplock bags, label and date them, and put half in the refrigerator and the other half in the freezer. As I get near the end of the first, I pull the second out and keep in the refrigerator.)
Makes 13 cups
Nutrient value per cup: 488 calories, 13 grams protein, 70 grams carbohydrate, 18 gram fat (with only 1.4 grams saturated fat).
Whole Wheat Bread
1 egg
1 1/4 cups water
4 1/2 cups Whole Wheat Convenience Mix
Beat the egg slightly with the water in a large bowl. Stir in the whole wheat mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Turn into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan and bake at 350° F. for 50 minutes, or until a pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand in pan on wire rack about 5 minutes; loosen sides with a spatula and turn right side up on rack. Cool thoroughly before slicing.
Whole Wheat Muffins
Prepare batter as for Whole Wheat Bread. Spoon into greased medium muffin cups, filling them 2/3 full. Bake in 400° F. oven for 15-20 minutes. Makes 18 muffins. (Note: I like to fill them a little less than halfway, add a small spoonful of jam, and then finish filling them 2/3 full--makes a nice treat! Also, you can add some frozen berries for a berry muffin.)
Whole Wheat Pancakes
1 egg
1 cup water
2 1/4 cups Whole Wheat Convenience Mix
Beat the egg slightly with the water in a bowl. Stir in the Whole Wheat Convenience Mix, just until dry ingredients are moistened. Pour batter onto greased, hot griddle and cook over medium heat until browned on both sides and cooked through. Serve hot with applesauce or molasses. Makes about 15 3-inch pancakes. (The finished pancakes can be made ahead and frozen, and then reheated in the microwave or oven for a quick breakfast!)
Whole Wheat Coffee Cake
1 egg
1/2 cup water
2 1/4 cups Whole Wheat Convenience Mix
1/2 cup raisins
Beat the egg slightly with the water in a bowl. Stir in the Whole Wheat Convenience Mix and raisins just until dry ingredients are moistened. Spread evenly in 8x8-inch baking pan. Sprinkle with Crumb Topping and bake in preheated 400° F. oven for about 25 minutes. Cut in squares. Best when served warm.
Crumb Topping
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
Mix the sugar, flour, and cinnamon together until there are no lumps of sugar. Add the butter and mix until topping is fine and crumbly.
It's the middle of Winter. Okay, I know, you didn't need me to tell you that! Anyhow, I know it can be hard on the children having to stay indoors so much, so I thought I would share with you something that I used to use with my daycare quite often. That's the "proper" way to color macaroni....
Take 1 part rubbing alcohol and 1 part water and mix it with the food coloring of your choice (until you get the desired color). For example...
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
1/2 cup water
food coloring--the more drops you use, the darker your macaroni noodles will be
Put the macaroni in the mixture, swish it around until it's all colored, and then strain it out (preferably over a bowl so you can use the mixture again). Lay the colored macaroni on paper towels to dry.
Now you have colored macaroni for all sorts of projects with your children!
String it onto yarn for necklaces and bracelets (the elastic thread is good for making bracelets with).
Glue it onto construction paper to make a pretty picture.
Glue it on hair barettes for a unique hair decoration.
Glue it on clothespins, glue a magnet on the back, and you have a new magnet to hang pictures on the refrigerator with.
Glue your colored macaroni on a frame in a mosaic design for a one-of-a-kind frame for your favorite picture.
These are just a few of the ideas. I'd love to hear of the ways you use this versatile crafting tool. Just leave me a comment and let me know!
This weblog will be a compilation of happening's here in my home. I will be including homemaking tips, recipes, and encouragement for the homemaker who realizes she is a God-ordained Keeper of her Home.
You surround yourself with art and music and are constantly driven to express yourself. You often daydream. You prefer honesty in your relationships and believe strongly in your personal morals.
