Wicked Wednesday.

It is the first day of school here. The kids in the neighborhood are so excited!

It is time for packing lunches. I usually don't talk much about lunches because, for us it is leftovers, cheese and crackers and fruit. Most people, I suspect, that are of snap also get school lunches too.
When we were kids, we either got to come home for lunch, or we got a sandwich. Period.

Breakfast was always oatmeal in the winter. Oatmeal for, scratch is just as easy as oatmeal from the canister.
1 cup water, 1/2 cup oatmeal, 1-1/2 minutes in the microwave. I like to add craisens or blueberries.

Breakfast muffins are a good thing, or a quick bread that you can make ahead.
http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/blueberry-banana-bread/96c37e01-6aad-42a5-9907-2117e388209b
Google Betty Crocker banana blueberry bread. There is a heart healthy version too. It uses egg beaters and low fat bisquick. In my book, 2 eggs split between 12 servings is not a lot of eggs.

Bananas with black spots on the skin are supposed to be anti cancer. Blueberries are anti oxidents, and oatmeal is good for cholesterol. Nutritious,easy and inexpensive is a winner in my book. They just happen to taste good. I wasmaskedmfor a substitute for the banana. I guessed chopped apple. I googled it, it said papaya. I have never bought a papaya, I would guess that it would derail the cost effectiveness of the muffin. Muffins are a dollar a piece in the grocery store. That is another time when scratch is a money maker.

To find out if something is worth making from scratch, first figure the cost of the bought product. Then cost out the scratch product. Time your non- passive cooking. Divide the difference in cost by the time it takes you to make the muffins. you will get the amount of money you are "making an hour " to scratch cook. if it is a couple of dollars, it's probably not worth it. When my daughter and I cost out lemon pound cake vs buying it at the lots of bucks store, we figure we made over 212.00 an hour if memory serves me. That's a little extreme, but at a dollar a muffin, I am pretty sure, scratch is well worth your time. If you can make them in a loaf pan instead, itmwouldmbe even faster.

Another thing that can be cost effective to make is salad dressing ( not mayo).A vinaigrette can be cost effective. There are recipes for salad dressings on an earlier blog. When salad dressing is a buck or less with a coupon, it is probably not cost effective.

I think what I have learned is that not everything is black and white playing this game. But, all in all, you will come out the winner if you put some effort into it.


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Jane