Thursday Thursday

This should be fun. I just found the dictation button on my reader that I got for free because my other one quit.

Breakfast Casserole

1 pound cooked and defatted sausage , set out to room temperature.
2tsp onion powder.

10 large eggs
3 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
half a teaspoon of pepper
One teaspoon minced garlic

one loaf day old country white bread ,cut into 1.5 inch cubes (about 12 cups )
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Add onion powder to cooked sausage that has been crumbled.
Whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper and garlic powder in large bowl.
Add sausage mixture and remaining ingredients. stir.

Butter a 9X13 pan. Empty bowl into prepared pan. refrigerate one hour or overnight covered with foil.
Bake at 350 degrees 45 minutes still covered.
Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until done and browned.

A quick pre made breakfast. Actual prep time is a minimum. The rest is passive cooking. I would serve it with a fruit compote and a muffin.

If you don't eat pork, or are on a restricted diet, you could substitute egg beaters and turkey sausage. it would be interesting to know the difference between the fat content between defatted pork sausage and turkey sausage.


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Jane


Ps. 1/2 cup of turkey sausage has 4 grams of fat.
1/2 cup of pork sausage defatted has less than 10 grams of fat to the best of my calculations.
I serving of the casserole has 2 ounces of meat, or about 5 grams of fat. 1gram more than if you had a turkey sausage patty . 1pound of sausage is quite generous. You could cut it o 3/4 of a pound .

Wednesday

I have the late shift today. Found this recipe for minestrone.

2T olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
Salt, pepper
2tsp chopped garlic

2 T tomato paste
4 carrots, sliced
2stalks celery,sliced
1 potato, peeled and cubed
Thyme
1 can white beans, ringed and drained
2 quarts water
1cup pasta
2cups spinach


Sauté onion in oil with salt and pepper and garlic. Add tomato paste. Cook for two minutes. Add some water and remaining veggies. Cook until veggies are crisp tender. Pour into slow cooker and add the remaining water and the beans.

Cook on low 8-10 hours. Add spinach and cooked pasta. Cook on high 15-20 minutes or until spinach is wilted.

Serve with Pam and a hard crusty bread or breadsticks.


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Jane

The ads

i got the ads in today's mail!,

SAFEWAYS

B1G1

Top sirloin steak
Sirloin tip
whole chickens

No prices posted, mix and match

FIVE DOLLAR FRIDAY

deli ham and cheese
Sub
Boston cream cake
3 lbs strawberries


ALBERTSONS

Chicken leg portions. .88
Apples .99
Blackberries 2:5
Strawberries z 2/5

QFC

Strawberries 2/4
Milk 2/5
Regs 2/3
Chicken .88 lb. not in ad.

Dreyers2.49. Buy 5 mix annd match
Morning star. 2.99
Dover sole 6.
Cucumbers 1.

Pork loin 1.69

Apples 1
Oranges 1.


TOP

London broil B1G1. Nets 2.75
Pork loin roast nets 2.75

Chili. 1.00
Milk 2.49
Strawberries 2/5
Romaine 2.


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Jane

Tuesday and Terrific

I have written the same paragraph twice I'm response to the naysayers . They can't understand the concept of saving. if you spend 25.00, you spend 25.00. If you loose 10 pounds, You LOOSE ten pounds. If you waste 25.00, you waste 25.00. What a concept! Waste it, save it? The jar is either half empty or half full! LOL

basically, I started writing this blog so people on SNAP that were running out of money before they ran out of month got some help in making informed decisions at the grocery store. Some people that are not on SNAP have incorporated the savings into their budget, enjoyed a new time saving recipe, or a technique to get out of the kitchen faster. Whatever you take from it, I hope I am helping people.

I don't advertise on my blog, I am doing this to try to help .


One of the ways to save on ground beef is to be mindful of the prices and the fat content of the beef. The TRUE price is the amount of the meat per pound TIMES 1.XX. The XX is the amount of fat content it has. Remember if you defat hamburger, you are pouring it down the drain. better in the house pipes than yours!!

If another cut of beef is cheaper than good hamburger, grind your own. If you don't have a kitchen aid grinder attachment, you can get the grinders that our great grandmothers had pretty cheap at an antique store or flea market or in our grannies attic!

Another option.
Freeze chuck roast for about 15 minutes. Cut in in large chunks and pulse chop on the food processor 20 - 22 times until roughly chopped. Rough chop is more tender and juicy. You can add seasoning if you like. Shape into patties or batch cook.


Roasted onion topping for hamburgers.

Chop 1 small onion
Drizzle with olive oil
Sprinkle with salt
Toss

Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes until tender.

You can put in the beef mixture before grilling, or add to mayo for on top of the cooked burger.

Other ideas

Teriyaki burgers with pineapple.
Jalapeño burgers
Blue cheese burgers
Any idea?

I'm trying to low carb and lower my blood sugars lately.
Yesterday I had a lettuce wrap with cheese, bacon and tomato . And some fruit for lunch.


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Jane

Zero waste?

The non consumer is talking about zero waste. I think it will be a while before we get to zero waste. Like maybe even never. It would be hard to incorporate no packaging into shopping on the cheap. Many packages can be recycled. I don't buy much that is individually packaged. We bought most of our veggies at the fresh food market and our town is already plastic bag free. bags that you bring to the store have to be washed frequently to keep from contanimating your food. I am sure that my daughter is zero waste, because she comes over and uses my kitchen so she doesn't have to wash dishes by hand! no room for a dishwasher in her unit!

Now, of people would discourage shoplifting, we could do away with the bubble packages that are a bear to open and fill the landfill. LOL. Costco is not very earth friendly. They do recycle boxes and I recycle them again at the store. it is hard to put a set of dishes in a brown paper bag.


Almost all of our garbage can be recycled. I think this movement is talking avout not using any packaging at all.
I am not sure in this day and age that that idea is sustainable in the burbs. It is a noble idea, I just don't know how practical it is for the average home. We will start by getting everything that can br recycled in the recycle bin and taking our packaging to the store to be used again.

On to other topics. I'm not sure what people want to see on this blog there's a comment section on the bottom. You can comment anonymously. please let me know what you want to read about. Recipes? Techniques to get out of the kitchen faster? Where to find the best prices? The basic plan? meal plans? I can't tell by the amount of hits . Sometimes I am inundated with spam.

Meal plans and the recipes that correlate with them can be found At www.womansday.com/meals. Some of them wouldn't fly with my family. A lot of them wouldn't have flown with my parents. Some of them would be interesting to try.
My husband has been really good about critiquing my experiments! LOL

Stair-stepping meals are a good way to not have waste and be more efficient in the kitchen.
Roasted salmon can become a salmon cassarole or be in a salad.

Rice can be Spanish rice with Mexican or Sweet and sour chicken or pork or braised beef on rice.
rice has a short fridge life, use it within 2 days . Dirto beans. Rice pudding???

We all know about Roasted chicken, chicken pot pie, chicken burritos, chicken noodle soup, terriaki chicken, chicken salad, white pizza.....

Batch cooking meat especially is a good time saver. If you batch cook groumd meat at your leisure, you will be more likely to spend the time to de fat it. defatted ground beef has LESS fat than boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Having a few very quick meals at your disposal is a good way to beat the I have no time and have had a hard day blues! For us that is tacos or a hot sandwich. It used to be roast beef a jus. it is getting harder to find a sirloin roast on sale these days. pulled pork or BBQ pork is a option.

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Jane

Dinner

I made enchalada sauce from scratch tonight for dinner for our enchiladas. I made a recipe from the food channel. It called for chicken stock, but I used water so that I could make the vegetarians happy. it was spicy. We like spicy and the baby are her noodles instead. Imfilled whole wheat tortillas with beans, rice, green chilis and jalapeño jack cheese. We topped them with lettuce,tomato, black olives and sour cream. Very filling.

I have been experimenting with new recipes a lot lately.

When we went to happy hour last week, I had stuffed chicken with asparagus and a cesear salad. They just took a couple of whole leaves of romaine with shaved parm, they added a couple of anchovies( I gave them to my husband. )
And a lemon wedge. The chicken was poumded thin. A bread stuffing with dried cranberries was spread on it and it was rolled up and cooked. They served it with asparagus cooked al dente.

They also cook salmon with a shrimp stuffing and drizzle balsamic vinegar over top. I saw a reduced balsamic vinegar on a cooking show last week. I think it was The Chew. They grilled romaine and drizzled it with reduced balsamic vinegar.

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Jane

Sunday Salads

its Sunday and again, I don't have a clue what to write about. I have enjoyed 50 to 80 hit days for a while now. yesterday was a bummer and the Russian porn queens were back in a vengeance. It was an angry birds kind of day.LOL

Went to Costco yesterday to get the things that I forgot. Thats what I get for not writing a list.
we had chicken sausage with Gouda and apple, peppers, and red potatoes for dinner --one pot meal. We had mixed berries for desert.

We eat a lot of one pot meals because they are quick and easy and the clean up is easy too. Precooking meat is another way to make clean up after meal time easier. I am old and I run out of gas by the time dinnertime rolls around especially if I have worked that day. When the children were little, it was always a hectic time of day.

One of the other advantages of shopping two stores is that if the produce looks bad at one store, you have another alternative.

remember, you get paid for shopping, not for cooking. I still want tasty, good nutrition, I just don't want the time consuming work. If you are a person that loves to cook and has the time, I think that it is great! I just don't have the energy and time these days and suspect other people are in the same boat.

Enough rambling...

I am going to make yesterday's French toast recipe (the ome nobody looked at) for breakfast this morning. I got blueberries at costco yesterday.

summer is coming-- well maybe in the Pacific NW!?!LOL.

Salad for dinner on the deck is a pleasant relaxing experience.


Chicken chopped salad

4 - 4ounces boneless skinless chicken breast pieces
1T cumin
1t paprika
1/8 teaspoon of red pepper
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
6 cups gourmet salad greens
3 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tsp olive oil

Lemon wedges optional
Place chicken breast half between two sheets of waxed paper. Flatten with meat mallet. Place spices and dash of salt and pepper in a large Ziploc bag add chicken and shake to coat.

grill chicken 3 minutes a side or until done.

Place greens on a large bowl.

Combined vinegar, marmalade ,soy sauce and olive oil and stir with a whisk .

Pour salad dressing over greens and toss.
Place chicken on top of each individual plate.

I might add some parm cheese, nuts ? water chestnuts?
Anything with an Asian flair that would taste good and serve with a roll.

Taco Salad

Mix a heaping cup of cooked taco meat with 3/4 cup salsa heat through on low heat on the stove or in the microwave, covered.

Place lettuce on each plate. Place some meat mixture on each plate. Add chopped tomato, grated cheese, tortilla Chips, chopped green onion.
Black olives would be good too. I would serve with salsa and sour cream.

Shrimp and orzo salad

1cup uncooked orzo

1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 tsp teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon olive oil
half a teaspoon dried oregano

2 cups diced seeded tomatoes
1cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1pound medium shrimp cooked and peeled.

Cook and drain orzo.
Mix together salad dressing ingredients
Toss orzo, remaining ingredients together.
Toss with dressing.
Chill about 4 hours.


That's all for today.

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Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Suddenly Saturday

Yesterday was grocery shopping day. In an hour and forty-five minutes.

Went to the fresh food market.
Went to Safeways
Went to the discount store for business supplies
And went to another store for supplies
And on to Costco for meds and some cheese.


I got asparagus for a dollar a pound. purchased jicama so that my grandaughter could taste it for the first time.
Some squash and salad greens.
On to Safeways for the rest of the veggies I needed and scallops on sale for five bucks among other buys.
the discount store still has no runners, but I was fruitful at the second store.

I'm still well under budget.


Breakfast for dinner is a way to cut costs...the kids think it is a special treat!

Baked French Toast

1/4 cup melted butter

4 eggs
1cup milk
1tsp vanilla
Nutmeg
8 slices Texas toast.

Pour butter in baking pan, coat bottom of pan.

Mix remaining ingredients EXCEPT bread in a bowl.

Dip bread in bowl coating both sides

Place on buttered pan.bake at 375 for 20 minutes.


Serve with syrup or blueberries or another fruit in season.



That's all for today

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Jane

Friday

Again, I have writers block. The fresh food stand is open for the spring and summer. Usually this time of year it is usually a lot of shrubs and some food. But, I think we will go since it can be on the way to Safeways. Top has herbs for a herb garden for 4/5.00. I might have to plant my porch tub.

Meals from the ads

Our basis is
2 beef
2 Chicken or Pork
2 vegetarian
1 fish


1) salmon , mashed potatoes, salad.
2) Mac and cheese, broccoli
3) eggs, hash browns, berry cup with yogurt. Toast
4) Pork chops, stuffing, salad, green beans
5) chicken sausage, peppers, red potatoes, hard crusty bread
6) enchiladas , chopped salad.
7) London broil, baked potatoes, green salad

Notes I found enchilada sauce by google ing the food network. Emeril has one.
I got salmon for a dollar a portion last week.
Mac and cheese is a good way to clean out the cheese bin.
Stuffing uses up all those bread ends.
Chicken sausage is the lowest price at grocery outlet.
London broil is 2.99 at Safeways. Thinly slice for stroganoff ( raw)the unused portion, or a cooked for a jus sandwiches , or grind for ground beef. It only comes in the giant economy size. Or, share the cost with another family member or close neighbor.

1-1/4 cups enchilada sauce
3/4 pound ( 12 ounces cooked taco meat )
1-1/2 cups grated cheese ( Mexican blend? Or cheddar)
1/2 can chopped green chilies
Chopped onion
8 corn tortillas

Pour 1/2 the sauce in a baking dish
Combine in a bowl the meat, chilies, onion and 1/2 of the cheese.
Fill each tortilla with 1/2 cup of mixture. Roll up and place
seam side down in baking dish.
Pour remaining sauce over tortillas, sprinkle with remaining cheese and a few peppers.
Cover with foil and bake at 3:5o for 26 minutes or until cheese is melted and enchiladas are hot.
Serve with chopped lettuce and tomato and sour cream.


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Jane

Thursday... The weekend looms

I read an old cookbook on my break yesterday.It was the history of Campbell's soups. Very fun to read. brings back old memories.I can remember chicken noodle soup. We lived four blocks from the school, so I came home for lunch.
Sometimes Mom would buy bean and bacon soup.

There were many good recipes that could be adapted to be scratch recipes and the basic green bean cassarole and tuna noodle.Some nostalgia still reigns.

There is a recipe for chicken enchiladas. It calls for enchilada sauce. Modes anyone know a recipe for easy enchilada sauce? Buying sauce jacks up the price too much.

They make my sausage and bean soup by substituting the beans for pasta and flip flopping the balance of tomato and broth. Add sausage and chicken cubes .

Tomato soup spice cake. Never had it, I can't picture what it would taste like and what to substitute for the shortening. has anybody tasted it before?


Combine red potato, broccoli, red pepper, green onion and lemon juice .

I read last night that red potatoes have 34 carbs for a three inch one ! Guess it is 1/2 a potato for me....bummer!
Regular russets are much more carb friendly!

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Jane

The Ads

The ads for this week.

TOP

Hagan veggies, beans, and diced tomatoes 15/10.00....67 ea
7 percent hamburger 3.99***
Pan bread 1.79@YO@@@
5# potatoes 1.00@@
Hormel chicken sausage 3.99
Asparagus 1.29




QFC

BUY 5
Dryers 2.49
Cheerios 1.99
Best foods 2.79


Strawberries 2/4
Hills hire farm smoked sausage 2/5
Country ribs 1.99
Raspberries 2.99


ALBERTSONS

Strawberries 3/3.99
Milk 2.49

Thurs-Sunday
Manwich, tomatoes, pasta sauce .68 limit six
Tillamock ice cream 2/5

Cucumbers .69
Carrots .79

SAFEWAYS

London broil 2.99
Bottom round roast 2.99
7 percent hamburger 2.99
Apples .99
Strawberries 2.00

5 dollar Fridays
8 lbs naval oranges
Jiff 40 ounces. Limit 2
Hunts pasta sauce 1.00****
Grapes 2.99
Mushrooms 1.79


That's about it. ***note the variations in prices
@@@@denotes a coupon in the store flyer.

Be sure to cross off everything that is higher priced elsewhere andmanythingnyou don't want or need.
Now pick the best two. Sometimes like last week, there were only ome for us. We shopped the alternative stores to fill in.

2.99 isn't bad for 7 percent hamburger, but last weeks 2.75 is better.

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Jane

Misc notes

Check out Myfridgfood.com. Today is a recipe for garlic chicken. It would be a good sauce for wings, sweet and sour with green pepper and pineapple...over rice with pork cubes? Using fake brown sugar would bring done the carbs, but they are pretty low already!

USDA stats for Feb are out.

3 Adults on the thrifty plan are 127.00 a week-- actual food eaten

( my daughter buys the some of the baby's food and some of the fake meat.so I'm not counting the baby)

We spend an. Average of 70.00 less 7.00 excess stock equals 63.00

1/2 of 127.00 is 63.35.


I only use store coupons, the other ones are too time consuming and are usually for ready made or things I never buy anyway. I keep our. Meals pretty simple. I don't buy organic, salt free, or fat free unless there is no price difference and they taste good.

Terrific Tuesday

Last night we had beef tips on rice, and a salad. I have enough left to put the tips and gravy together with the roasted root vegetables left from the other night and have stew with some crusty bread Tommorrow night. I have to work Wednesday. planned leftovers are like a free meal! LOL. Freshen it up with some herbs.

Always make a plan, but be flexible.

Salad

Romaine is a better bet for greens. The darker the leaf, the more nutrition. They also last longer.


Croutons

2 cups cubed French bread. toss with 2 T garlic olive oil. Toss the cubes and place them on sheet pan. Bake at 400 for 6-7 minutes, stirring a couple of times.

Dressing
4 t lemon juice
1-1/2 t Dijon mustard
1/2t w sauce
Dash of pepper
2T oil
Mix together

Salad
4 cups romain washed and torn
2T parm cheese
1 medium apple. Diced (soak in vinegar or lemon juice to keep from discolouring. )

Toss together croutons, dressing and greens.

6 servings

I am going to add some parts of some recipes to my personal cookbook. I want the croutons, dressing and the teriyaki
sauce from a couple of weeks ago.

I found good mustard at Big Lots. Wait until they have a 20 percent sale. I see that they have raised the price on tomatoes, but there is still some older stock. You don't always see the same things every time and they don't take SNAP. The savings are remarkable .48 vs 1.69 is a lot per can. 1.21X 2 for a pot of soup is 2.42. Add 1.80 savings for beans and you have 4.22 savings . that's more than 1/2 price. A pot of soup enough for a meal and lunch the next day is 3.11. Almost less than two cans of ready made soup.
And it takes about 10 minutes of your time.

Six cans at 1.50 is 9.00. Scratch is 3.11. Rounding that's 6.00 savings. 10 is 1/6 of an hour. That's 36.00 an hour. Add taxes you aren't paying to earn that 36.00 and you have to make 43.20 an hour to spend that 36.00.
Food for thought.


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It really makes my day to get feedback

Jane

Monday Madness

it's catch up day here, I have been sick all week. I'll be glad when the doc talk to each other and decide what is wrong with me.

Veggie Chicken Packet.
uses bone in chicken breast. Sometimes I have purchased them for 1.25 a pound.

For EACH packet

2 T instant rice
1chicken breast 1/4, or about 4 punches. ( the size of the palm of your hand.
1/ cup sliced carrot
2onion slices, separate into rings
1/4 cup peppers, sliced thin.
1 T water
1 T w sauce
2tsp sou sauce
1 T butter

Place rice in the center of a 14 inch square piece of foil
Top with chicken and veggies
Mix liquids together
Pour over chicken.
I would cup the edges of the foil first.
Dot with butter.
Fold foil around chicken and seal.
Place n baking pan and bake at 350 for 65-75 minutes or until chicken is done.
Open foil carefully, there will be steam!!!


I know the purists would say that I am filling the landfill, you can use used foil.

It would be a good recipe for a busy day. Even a older child or a culinary challenged spouse could put the packets on pan and get them started in the oven. LOL

You could also use already cooked chicken and shorten the time. Yhen you would just worry about how long the rice and veggies would take to cook. It would really be fast if you used leftover rice, maybe even finely chop the pepper in with it. I have a thing about white food. It needs colour. LOL

There is an earlier post on foil packets. It's a good thing to do when you are working late and you can fix them ahead for someone else to shove in the oven. Kids like the packets...it's like camping.




Vegetarian Noodle dish

1 can diced tomatoes, drained ( save juice for veggie stock! Or freeze in ice cube trays.
1can of tomato purée (tomato paste )
1/3 cup chopped onion
1tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp minced garlic
Salt, pepper


2-1/2 cup UMCOOKED noodles
1/2 cup small curd cottage cheese
Spinach, cooked and squeezed dry.
1-3 cup grated cheese.


Combine first group of ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes.
Cook noodles

Layer in baking dish ( like lasagna)

Sauce
Noodles
Cottage cheese
Spinach
Tomato mixture

Repeat ending with grated cheese

bake at 350 20-25 minutes.


A good way to use up the last bits of cottage cheese. Very inexpensive. You could mix the spinach with the cottage cheese and save a step.


I started this blog to help people cook good nutritious meals on a tight budget. it came to my attention that some people on SNAP were running out of money before they ran out of month. we eat on about 1/2 of the USDA statistics for a thrifty plan. It is doable. no, we are not on SNAP. In the process, I have learned that other people that want to get out of the kitchen faster because they have busy lives and people that like trying a new recipe like it as well. It can't help anyone if they are not motivated to try. Not having food in the house at the end of the month should be motivation enough. It doesn't make your child or children feel secure when they know the cupboards are empty.

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Jane

Sunday

we finished our grocery shopping yesterday. I started out just wanting to go to the goodwill. I didn't find anything at the goodwill but two magazines. I like .50 instead of upwards of three dollars. my husband wanted the smoked Gouda that I used up making cheese Strada this week, so we went to grocery outlet and big lots.

Big lots had ice cream comes...just the cone part for 1.30. It was my mothers treat for the grandchildren. I really wanted to share the experience with my grandaughter. What a mess, but she thoroally enjoyed it, and she did eat all of her dinner.

Grocery outlet yielded tomatoes, tortilla chips, grated cheese, seasoned Mexican flavors and radishes.
We had pot roast and roasted root veggies for dinner, carrots, red potatoes and radishes. Radishes are really yummy, they loose their spicy taste!


Pudding is a good desert to add calcium into the diet. boxed puddings are expensive and I am guessing have preservatives and anti caking agents in them.


BUTTERSCOTCH PUDDING

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3T cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

3 cups milk
3 egg yolks
2T butter
2tsp vanilla

whip cream garnish optional...or a few chopped peanuts....or some cocoanut?

In a saucepan, combine the dry ingredients. Mix.
pour in the milk and stir over medium high heat until thickened and bubbly.
Reduce heat and cook 2 minutes longer.
Remove from heat . Temper the egg yolks into the pudding.
Add the butter and vanilla to the pudding at the end. cool for 15 minutes.

Spoon onto desert dishes and cover and chill.

This could be almost no carbs of you used fake sugar. Or 1/2 and 1-2 if you aren't diabetic.


Thanks for stopping by

Please share and comment...what would you put on butterscotch pudding?


Jane

Suddenly Saturday

We went on a shortened shopping trip since the ads weren't that great and I had a doc appointment in the morning.

Albertsons usually are the most expensive store of my four chains. This week they had enough sales to make it worth my while.

They had a choice of three different apples for .88 and you get an additional 1.00 off if you buy a bag. We like apples, it's not hard to use up a bag.

Pot roast was buy one, get one. I bought two. Well have pot roast one night and probably pulled beef sandwiches another unless we have company.

The other one I will cut up for stew.

Pasta sauce was .88, Manwich was .68. Tomatoes were .68. Cheese was 4.99-limit two , several varieties.


I for a BARTELLS flyer on the mail. They have Libby veggies .59 . And the Blue box pasta for a buck. It was 2.19 at Another store. 1.19 savings is HUGE!

having a vegetarian in the house , we use a lot of pasta and sauce. Some nights there is two meals happening and if the second one is not baby friendly, there are three.

I don't usually buy Manwich, but .68 is cheaper than making it from scratch!

you can oven roast potato wedges and have homemade fries. Take a sheet pan with sides. MI use a 1/4 sheet pan I got years ago ar Costco. Spread some olive oil on the pan. Wash the potatoes and cut them into wedges. 1/8ths of they are large. Dry them with a towel. And putnthem on your pan and drizzle olive oil on them. Toss. I usually add some parm and herbs on top. Maybe thyme, rosemary, or parsley in a pinch. one time I found rosemary parm for. .50 at the grocery outlet. it made two batches.

you can do the same thing with any root vegetable you have. Mix your veggies. Carrots, potatoes, rutabagas, parsnips, sweet potatoes, radishes. Any combo that suits your family and your main dish. Radishes take on a whole new flavor!

My easy take on pot roast is to dump it dry into a slow cooker. Cut an onion up on top (rough cut) pour a beer on top. Add broth f needed to come 3/4 of the way up the roast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. I base the hours on when we want to eat and how early I get my act together. LOL

Serving a salad and a veggie , a starch and a meat means you will eat less meat and also fulfill the 5 -8 servings of fruits and veggies for the day. Sometimes, especially when strawberries are in season, we have strawberries for desert with a little chocolate and whip cream! The strawberries are still a little if fy yet.


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Jane

Friday

I can't believe I have written over 300 posts about food! The chew made a comment on Facebook that the average family pays nine thousand dollars a year on food. That is about a hundred dollars more a week than we spend.
A lot of people commented that they spend less and some spend more. I know that there are some cities in the US that are a lot more expensive to live than others. I certainly found out this weekend that my shopping plan would take some adjusting for the average family that lives n that town. It was a tourist town and I am expecting many people can find a way to go to the next town for provisions one or two times a month. stocking up would take on a whole new urgency. Regardless of your situation, there is something you can take away from this. The amount you use from this blog is up to you.

Veggie Primaverra

Olive oil
1/2 cup each sliced carrots, chopped celery, broccoli, bell peppers
Tomato juice, peas

1 tsp minced garlic
Basil
Salt, pepper
1.5 cups dry bow tie pasta, cooked

In oil in skillet fry carrot, celery, broccoli and peers and garlic
Add tomato juice and peas,small pepper and basil.
Cook until veggies are tender.

Toss sauce into drained bow ties. garnish with parm or Romano.

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Jane

The ads, finally

I finally got the ads, there was no holiday, so I don't know the delay.

TOP

Sirloin steak 2.99

@@denotes coupons on ads

Cheese 4.99@@
Milk 1.99@@

Shredded cheese?.watch the weight.  U want 8 ounces
Dried beans 1.25
Rice  2 lbs 1.99

Strawberries 2 lbs 5
Cucumber .79
2lbs carrots 1.00

Rotisserie chicken 6.00**
QFC

milk 2.50***

Tomatoes.99
Mango .99
Soup 1.00***
Cottage cheese 1.00


Top round roast b1G1. Nets 3.25
Pork shoulder 1.79
80 percent ground beef 2.66***

ALBERTSONS

b1G1 meat sale
Chuck roast or steak 2.75 net
Sirloin steak  3.00 net
Pork loin chops 1.50 net

15 percent beef 2.99
Thurs-Sunday. Cheese 4.99. Limit 2

Canned diced tomatoes .68 limit 6
Pasta sauce .88

SAFEWAYS

Chuck roast 2.99
Country ribs 1.99

5 dollar Fridays
50 cookies 5.00
Sub kit  5.00

Milk 2.59
20 ground beef 3. 49 lb
Sirloin tip 3.99

That's about it for ads.

Now, With calculator on hand I am going to try to break down the ground beef prices.
The calculations depict the amount you are paying for meat.  Remember  you are pouring the fat down the drain.  Better in the house pipes than yours!!!

15 percent fat, Safeways 3.49. Equals 4.02 a pound
Beef chuck roast, ALBERTSONS 2.75
20 percent fat QFC, 3.19
15 percent, TOP 3.45
15 percent ALBERTSONS  3.44

QFC  is cheapest, but ALBERTSONS is a better buy at 2.75 if you grind your own.

Notes. You need to cross off anything that is cheaper elsewhere.  note the discrepancies in prices between stores.  Soup should be .75.  Deli chicken isn't a bargain at any price.

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Jane

Wicked Wednesday

I still have an ear infection and have to open the store this morning, so this will be short.

This is inventory the fridge day. We didn't get the ads yet, so they will come out Tommorrow. Maybe,

Cheese Sandwich Cassarole.  From retro Betty Crocker
grease a bakimg dish and arrange 6 slices of bread
Cover with six slices of sharp cheese
Top with 6 more slices of bread

make a mixture of
2 eggs
2-1/2 cups milk
Salt, pepper, dry mustard

Pour over the "sandwiches", chill in fridge until bread is softened from the egg mixture.

Bake at  350 for an hour.

Serve with a creamed vegetable.

Serves six.

A good way to use up the free bread from the bakery outlet and add another vegetarian meal to your list.  ,  I would temper it with a low fat dinner the next day.  It's all about variety and balanced
moderation.

We tried this tonight.  I put it in the refer for 3 house.  It would have been better if I had covered it with plastic wrap and put it in longer.  I would have turned them over the last ten minutes of cooking and sprinkled them with a little grated cheese.

Not terrible we ate most of a 9X13 pan..three adults.  The baby wasn't impressed! LOL

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Jane

Terrific Tuesday

We have spent the last two days at the beach.  It is spring break, but still off season.  That's  probably why we got such cheap coupons for lodging. LOL.  We have a very nice room with a view, wifi, and a short walk to the beach complete with a little kitchen bar.  I always throw some things in a insulated bag before we go on long trip.  things like cheese, crackers, fruit, some chocolate!  A couple of drinks.  it is really a good thing I did that this time.

.There is one  independent chain grocery store in the town.  They have nothing.  I thought I could at least get a family circle or something to read.  hey had one bottle of non sugar flavored water.  The vegetables looked ready for the dumpster.  I can see where 1/2 price shopping trips would have to be altered to going maybe twice a month to the next town twenty miles away.  Or you would have to carpool with a neighbor and take turns.

There was one reasonable??? Priced place to eat after six o'clock.  It was a fish and chips place.  It cost 40.oo for fish and and chips and I had ice tea and my husband had 1 beer,  it was our anniversary, so we splurged.  I had brought 1/2 a bagel from the free breakfast the night before and we had fruit, ( I can't have a whole bagel on a diabetic diet). breakfast.  we found Subway a few miles into the next small town and got subway for dinner.  Altogether, we spent 68.00 for three days plus some of the food we brought along.

We did stop I'm the next town.  they had the biggest dollar store I have ever seen.  I found a cd crate that I have been using to store CD cases for the business I needed a different colour.  We found cookies and paper towels.  My husband got salami and pepperoni.

That's about all from the road.

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Thanks for stopping by

Jane