Repost of pizza crust and other mixes

Pizza Crust, easy

1/2 to 3/4 cup of warm water (105 to 115 degrees
1T dry yeast
1tsp sugar
2cups flour
1T veg oil
1/2 tsp salt

Combine 1/4 cup water with the yeast and sugar.
Let stand in a warm place till bubbly --about 5 minutes.
It will look like a root beer with a head on it.

Put flour, oil, and salt in food processor with a steel blade. Process a few seconds, add yeast mixture through the tube with processer running. Add enough water through the tube until dough forms a ball.  Process until the ball makes 25 turns around the bowl. Approx 1 count every 25 seconds. Put dough ball on pizza pan. Let rest for 10 minutes. ( a good time to assemble your ingredients.).
Put tomato sauce and Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powder in a small pot and simmer till warm and somewhat reduced.
When dough has had it's resting time, pat into a circle on pizza pan.
Spread sauce and pizza toppings on the crust. Bake 425 degrees for 15 a 20 minutes
Until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted.

BAKING MIX

6cups flour
1/2 cup PLUS 1 Tablespoon non fat dry milk
1 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, margarine or shortening cut into small bits
Mix together. Store in a cool dark place . Shelf life. Two weeks.

TACO SEASONING

1/2 cup plus 2T chili powder
2/3 cup paprika
1/2 cup plus 1T cumin
1/3 cup onion powder
1/3 cup garlic powder
1 2/3 tsp cayenne pepper
2tsp red pepper flakes

Mix well and store in an airtight container. Use 2 tablespoons per pound of ground meat.

Repost of No Brainer Pasta

I talked about no brainer pasta a few days ago. Here it is. TADA!
It's not the most sophisticated dish In the world, but a teen can easily handle it. They may need some help with the oven.

1-27.5 ounce can of pasta sauce
Water
1 pound of DRY pasta.
8 ounces (two cups) Grated cheese
Leftover meat

1) put dry pasta in 9x13 pan
2) mix together 1 can of pasta sauce and 1 can of water. You should have 7 cups.
3) pour over pasta and stir.
4) cover with foil and bake at 425 for 45 minutes.


5) uncover, Put cheese and any leftover meat on top.cook an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

NOTE. The reason why this is faster, is that you can take the five minutes to get it in the oven and then walk away to get something else done. No watched pot here.
You have enough time to make a salad and set the table and still check the mail. LOL

You can pair the pasta with the cheese and the sauce variety. Wagon wheel pasta with cheddar and regular sauce and hamburger crumbles makes cheeseburger macaroni.
A Italian spiced sauce with a white cheese and pepperoni makes pizza pasta. Use your imagination.

Cost: pasta .88, sauce .80, cheese 1.00. 2.68
This makes a 9x13 pan. Serves 6 .45 a serving

Hamburger mix is 2.33 serves 5 or .47 a serving

Meal plans

1) no brainer pasta
2) chicken thighs ( see older post)
3) Roast chicken dinner
4) salmon
5) Mac and cheese
6) tortilla soup
7) meatballs with cream sauce and noodles

Thanks for stopping by

Please share with Facebook or twitter.

Jane

Ps. The picture shows the dish with hamburger crumbles and a vegetarian alternative. It needs to be stirred to look more appetizing. You could put a little parm on top!

Monday Madness

 Have you ever noticed that the covers of woman's magazines always have either desert or something with tomato sauce and cheese on them?  
I figure some researcher has figured that we are attracted to what we consider yummy foods.

I have been researching saving at the grocery store to see of I could  gleem , any new ideas. Most of the articles I see are a rehash of what I learned I'm the 70's. Most of the extreme componers  are buying toiletries  most of which we don't buy in the first  place.  We buy razors, deodorant, and soap and toothpaste.  Not all states will allow you to get the extra money in cash.  It used to be that the coupons said  not redeemable for cash of them. Cash value  1/20 of a cent.  Our state doesn't double coupons.  ALBERTSONS has some coupons that let you double like three or four coupons.  And, it doesn't make sense to buy 93 bottles of hot sauce when you can never on your lifetime use them.  Now, of you are buying for the food bank or a shelter, I can understand the mass amounts.  I applaud
 that. I try to keep a six month supply.  That allows me to eat things before they expire.  the only thing that I have more than a six month supply of is pasta.  Pasta has an eight year shelf life.

Food of the Day.   PASTA

The pastas of today have great variety.  We have whole wheat, vegetable, and I just found white added fiber.

I like to pay a dollar or less a pound.  I got it for .49 this week.

It's a good fill  me up and as late, there are a mirage of recipes to make it healthy and varied.

Almost any combination of meat and veggies that can go on a pizza can go on pasta.

Summer brings pasta salads.  You can gleem ideas from the pasta salad mixes.  The mixes are far to expensive for something that you still have to do the majority of the work.

There is a recipe for cheeseburger macaroni from scratch on an earlier post.  ( See below)
It's a real eye opener.

Repost of hamburger dinner box

In  order to expose the true value of cooking from scratch and the actual cost of dinner mixes, I bought a box of  a cheeseburger dinner mix.

The actual cost of the box was 2.09. That works out to 5.77 cents a pound for the whole box.

The amount of macaroni in it is 4.23 ounces, about .21 cents

When you subrtract the amount of the macaroni, that leaves you 1.57 OZ for the sauce. That means, that you are paying 1.88 for 1.57 ounces of cornstarch, salt, and spices, dry milk and cheese Whey.  The ingredients have to be listed in order of volume. Cheese whey is the last on the list. There is more cornstarch than cheese Whey. and the total of all of it is 1.57 OUNCES.

That's about 13.28 a pound for cornstarch, tomato powder, salt, parsley, paprika and cheese whey.
Cheese whey is what is left over after the take the solids and fat out of milk to make cheese.  

You still have to add the hamburger. And milk.  

Scratch hamburger macaroni is cheaper, more nutritious and doesn't take much more time.



My daughter and I tested it.  I made more product and the difference in time was 3 seconds


My Cheeseburger Macaroni

Cook 1/2 lb macaroni until done.

Sauté 1 celery stick, finely chopped and 1 slice red pepper, chopped in 1T olive oil until soft, add tsp each of onion powder and garlic powder.

Add 3/4 pound hamburger and cook until no longer pink (or use already cooked hamburger.

Add 1 can of diced tomatoes,drained and 1/2 can tomato paste.


You can add the tomato "juice "to the pasta water if you don't want to waste it.
Simmer 15 min until flavours blend.

Add cooked macaroni and pasta water if needed to make it the right consistency.
Add 1 cup  of grated cheese and cover. Cook on low heat until cheese is melted

1.75 for other ingredients plus hamburger and you have more nutritious food.
You are getting a whole cup of tomatoes,plus the tomato paste instead of less than a tsp of dried tomato and a cup of real cheese.
Serves 6






Other ideas for pasta

Mac and cheese
Macaroni salads

Speghetti
With veggies and herbs
With pasta sauce
With meatballs

No brainier pasta ?.pair a hunts sauce with an appropriate cheese and pasta

• Wagon wheels with hamburger and cheddar cheese. Sauce with meat
• Vegetable pasta, chunky vegetable pasta sauce, mozzarella cheese
• Rotini, Italian sauce, pepperoni, mozzarella cheese
• Elbow macaroni, taco meat. Spicy white chees

• Any combo your imagination can conjure up.  Use typical flavor combinations

• Italian

• Greek
• Mexican
• American burgers
• German sausage

No brainier pasta on an older post.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

I talked about no brainer pasta a few days ago. Here it is. TADA!
It's not the most sophisticated dish In the world, but a teen can easily handle it. They may need some help with the oven.

1-27.5 ounce can of pasta sauce
Water
1 pound of DRY pasta.
8 ounces (two cups) Grated cheese.
Leftover meat

1) put dry pasta in 9x13 pan
2) mix together 1 can of pasta sauce and 1 can of water. You should have 7 cups.
3) pour over pasta and stir.
4) cover with foil and bake at 425 for 45 minutes.


5) uncover, Put cheese and any leftover meat on top.cook an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

NOTE. The reason why this is faster, is that you can take the five minutes to get it in the oven and then walk away to get something else done. No watched pot here.
You have enough time to make a salad and set the table and still check the mail. LOL

You can pair the pasta with the cheese and the sauce variety. Wagon wheel pasta with cheddar and regular sauce and hamburger crumbles makes cheeseburger macaroni.
A Italian spiced sauce with a white cheese and pepperoni makes pizza pasta. Use your imagination.

Cost: pasta .88, sauce .80, cheese 1.00. 2.68
This makes a 9x13 pan. Serves 6 .45 a serving

Hamburger mix is 2.33 serves 5 or .47 a serving

Meal plans

1) no brainer pasta
2) chicken thighs ( see older post)
3) Roast chicken dinner
4) salmon
5) Mac and cheese
6) tortilla soup
7) meatballs with cream sauce and noodles

Thanks for stopping by

Please share with Facebook or twitter.

Jane

Ps. The picture shows the dish with hamburger crumbles and a vegetarian alternative. It needs to be stirred to look more appetizing. You could put a little parm on top!

Shopping trip

Our usual shopping day was premted by my having to play store detective.  I waited virtually all day for the perp to show up.  I stalled him as long as I could waiting for the police to show up.  The guy was huge and had a purse bigger than mine!  LOL

So, shopping happened yesterday.  I don't like to shop Saturdays, , it's too hectic and I couldn't watch the register because the rest of the family was lost in the store.  I spent more than usual, but I stocked some really good buys.  ALBERTSONS had pasta and cake mixes for .49 if you bought a total of ten products on their list.  I had two Duncan Hines coupons.  That made two of the mixes .07 cents each.  

It costs .075 for a cup of flour.  Yogurt was 10/5 and I got an additional .40 off.   2 pounds of cheese were 4.88.  Apples were a dollar a pound and I got an additional 1.00 for buying a bag.  I got grillers with a coupon for buy one, get brats for free and got the  grillers for five bucks.  I got Nathan's hot dogs buy one, get one and eggs for .79.  

If you can match a coupon with a special it's better.  That being said, I am not going to spend an exorbitant amount of time couponing.   I want to spend less time than it takes the coffee to drip in the morning.  I quickly look at  www.couponconnections.com once a week.  And download any coupon from  Www.coupons .com --anything I see that we NORMALLY buy or matches with an ad price that we normally buy.  I'll try something new if it is free or nearly free.  

Couponing was a little awkward, but I am sure it will  get better and more efficient.  I have done the organize and shop sales bit  for so many years that its second nature,  I download my add blog and my just 4 You savings list. gather my coupons I keep in an envelope from the recycle bin and the ads.

I don't need a grocery list. Because, by buying just what's on sale and milk , we are set because we stock.  If there are no good meat buys, I just don't buy meat.  

The object is to never get caught paying full price, or what my mother used to call top dollar.  Almost everything I buy is at rock bottom prices.  Buying seasonal is preferable because the fruits and veggies are at their peak, and the meats are the lowest prices.  Not having to go to the store because there is nothing in the house to eat is liberating.  I didn't  have to panic when I was to nervous to go to the store after Fridays Unscheduled work shift.  

To those naysayers... You go all over town to shop.....I plan my trip to hit the stores I want in the least amount of time.  I am lucky to have stores clustered together to make a tight circle either ast or north of us.  Alternative stores are near other errands we need less frequently.  The normal family can save about 4000. A year....has a hefty amount to pay down the mortgage or go on a nice vacation. !!!

That's about it.  

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

4+1 =5

 better cheaper faster 

 basically you get paid more for shopping than you do cooking.  

Ps.  Lets do the math.  5 cake mixes at 2.79 is 13.95.  5 pastas at 1.39 is 6.95. Less .85 coupons totals
20.05

I paid 4.90 less .85 or 4.05.  Eighty per cent savings.  

Recap. Part 3

Part three is cooking

• If you haven't already, take the time to learn the basics.  There is a show on PBS with Martha Stewart, the chew, and any number of shows on tv.  Basic books from the library, and there is always a mom o r grandmother, aunt or cousin.  
• There are some recipes that take no more time to cook from scratch than their boxed counterparts.  Hamburger meal boxes and cooked pudding come  to mind.
• Sometimes it is cheaper to grate your own cheese than to buy grated cheese. Sometimes not.  Costco Business is cheaper.  I want to pay 2.50 a pound. Two dollars is better.  This is where a food processor comes in handy.  It is a very versatile  tool.  It can grate cheese, make bread crumbs, mix a cake, chop onions, carrot, and other veggies, make pesto.....and on
• NEVER buy bread crumbs,  you are paying exorbitant prices for someone else's dry bread.   Put the heel of the bread or an extra bun or piece of artisan bread in the cold oven on the broiler pan or a rack in a sheet pan to dry.  When you have enough, process it.  n a pinch, you can use a blender.  
• Batch cooking meats when you are more relaxed gives you the time to defat your ground meats and saves a lot of time at the more  hectic dinner time.  
• Having a few really fast and easy meals up your sleeve, really takes stress away when you are on a time crunch and you would be tempted to eat out.  Tacos and hot sandwiches come to mind here. My husband calls it cheap and dirty.  LOl
• Chopping any veggie that goes on a pizza when you are already chopping it for another meal and putting them on a bag in the freezer door makes for almost free pizza.  Time free..just make the dough in your food processor and layer things up.  An older child can help layer the toppings and the starter looks like a science experiment.  The kids love it.  Recipe on a older blog.  you can use the zip locks over and over.  
• Take advantage of ready mades  when you can get them for free.  My daughter gets home really late sometimes.  She is a supervisor at a day care/preschool and some parents don't seem to have a clock.  Not so LOL.  Having some FREE ready mades can put dinner on the table quickly when everyone is starving.  I made omelette, biscuits I got for free, and fruit I had cleaned the night before.  All in the 13 minutes that the biscuits were cooking.  
•  slow cooker meals make life easier when you know it's going to be a hard day.  
• Formula for "is it worth it scratch cooking. Or "is it worth my time.  

1. Cost out the ready made. 
2.  Cost out the scratch dish
3.   Time  How long it takes  you to make it from scratch.  
4. find the net cost between the ready made  and he scratch item. 
5.  Find the percentage of an hour that you spent actually cooking and times it by the savings.   

Essentially you are calculating how much you are being PAID for cooking the item.  If it is a few cents it is not worth it.

• Ie. if 7 percent hamburger is 4.00 a pound and round steak is 3.00 a pound, the difference is a 1.00 a pound.  if you grind your own hamburger and take 10 minutes to grind it, for 5 pounds of meat you are saving 5.00.  10 minutes is 1/6 of an hour,  if 1/6 is 5.00 then 6/6 is 30.00 .That is 30.00 an hour.  A very good wage in my book.  

• If a recipe calls for a very expensive ingredient, either consider a splurge or think of a substitute.  In other words, don't throw the baby out wit the bathwater.  Often you can come up with another o ingredient that is the same texture and bulk.  Celery for water chestnuts, green beans for asparagus.  Food substitutions is a good book to have.  I have used kidney beans for hamburger in a pinch.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

Four plus one equals five 

better cheaper faster

Cut your food bills in half

Recap part two...shopping

There are a lot of stores that carry food.
After your assessment of the best chain stores, pick two for the week.
our chain stores are SAFEWAYS, ALBERTSONS, QFC (Kroger) and TOP.

No one store has the best prices.  SAFEWAYS and top are more often , but when QFC and ALBERTSONS are really good when they have a good sale.

Besides the chain stores, there are warehouse stores--Costco , Sams Club, WinCo ..  SAMs  club and Costco require memberships.  Some prices are better in bulk, some are not.  I purchase some staples in gross quantity because they don't go bad fast and it just makes my life easier not to have them n my grocery list.  Cornstarch, salt, come to mind. Somethings are a good buy, but unless you can share the cost of a unit, it is not practical. Beans come to mind.   our Costco  membership pays us to shop.  Winco offers a 10.00 off of 50.00 coupon  every  so often.  It's your best bet for rock bottom.  They also have a really extensive bulk section.

Then come the over stock stores.  We have grocery outlet and big lots.  GrocerymOutletmhasma large variety of Mexican food.  They have non designer coffee cheap.  Also, a wide variety of cheeses, some cheaper, some not so much.  Sometimes the produce is really good.

Big Lots and the Dollar Tree have a small selection of food.  the dollar tree has spices, tortillas, frozen potatoes, veggies, and HOT poppers, Salami and pepperoni. Big Lots has a 20 percent off the entire store one day only some of the time.  I can usually do good with sauerkraut, diced tomatoes, tomato  paste, baby food, facial tissues, pasta and veggie chips.  My husband likes hot pickles.

I have had luck with Bartells Drug store for limited food.  Rite aid has almost nome since they started carrying booze.  We don't have  a Walgreens yet, so I will have to see.

We have a fresh food market during the summer.  Sometimes the veggies and fruit are cheaper in season.

We just got,an IGA.  The veggie section had good prices, I haven't had time to check the rest of the store.

We usually go to Costco on a need to go basis.  Bananas, TP, laundry soap are always cheaper.
Winco is further away as is the Bakery  outlet.  We hit them every four to six weeks or when Wimco has a coupon.

The overstock stores we hit when we are in the neighborhood running other errands.

Pick your grocery store by the price of their food.  I wouldn't go to a store that was filthy, but unless the condition of the store was really poor or in a unsafe part of town,  I'm ok.  Don't go to a grocery store because it is quiet,because the clerks ar friendlier, or because they have the best coffee.  you are going to the grocery store to buy your food and still have some money at the end of the month.
if you are going to the lots of bucks food store, just remember,  someone is paying for the atmosphere, the music and the lack of stuff in your food, you can guess who that someone  is! LOL
If going to the grocery store is your whole social life, then you need to get a life.  Ha ha

All I'm all, once you are organized,  you should get through the grocery buying process in the same time as you do now or less.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane



,

Recap

The three steps for eating on the cheap are easily attained.  If you are overwhelmed, start with one  step at a time.

Recipes

1. List protein sources that your family will eat.  
2. Now make a list of recipes that use these items that you already cook.  
3. Surf the net or cookbooks, or magazines to find recipes that use the protein and will suit your family.  Cooking magazines are at the library or for .50 at our goodwill,  
4. Start with 7 and add to 14. For variety.

Target list

1. Look through the recipes your family likes.  Write down the key ingredients that are staples.  
2. These are your items to go on your target  list.  You should have 10 or 15.
3. Set up your data.  Use a small notebook or a spread sheet.  
4. Post low prices from ads each week.  
5. Soon you will see a pattern of sales.  

Planning your trip.

1. Using a piece of 8.5X11 piece of paper.  Divide it into quarters.  Mark the top of each with the name of a grocery store ad.  
2. Now start marking down each thing that is on your target list, and any protein and vegetable that is inexpensive.  Use under three dollars a pound for protein and try for a dollar a pound for veggies.  
3. When you are through all 4 ads, cross off anything you have enough stock of, and anything that is a lower price at another store.  
4. Be sure to mark anything that needs a coupon .
5. Check a matching web site for coupons. Gather your coupons as you come across them.  I don't pay for coupons.  If I run across them or find them on the Internet, I'll use them if they pair with a food that I would normally buy or is free.  
6. Go onto  the Internet and search for coupon matching sites in your area.  I use coupon connecttions.com in the Seattle area.  Coupons.com is printable coupons.  I print only what I normally buy and preferably only the things that match up to my list . Mark your list with a @ to designate you have a coupon.  
7. Now pick the two stores that have the best buys on what you need.  
8. Gather your coupons , the ads, and your list.  
9. Plan your trip to use the least amount of gas. 

Go to the stores, get your food, get in and get out.  More time in the store equals more money spent.
Don't buy non food items at the grocery store.
That's  enough to confuse a newbie.  Next time shopping.


Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Coupon alert for the ads

On coupons.com. There is a printable coupon for buy one johnsonville grillers and get one johnsonville brats.  johnsonville grillers are on 5 buck Fridays at SAFEWAYS.

SAFEWAYS has normal chili for a buck.  Coupons.com has a coupon for .55 off two. That makes one of your chilli s for .45.

Cake mixes are .49 cents on buy 10 at ALBERTSONS.  I have a coupon for .35 from last weeks Duncan Hines web site.  This week there is a .50 coupon for red velvet cake.  The cake mixes say select varieties.  I may get one for free.

Yoplait is 10/5 at ALBERTSONS.  I have a coupon from coupons.com for .40 off six.

You can only use three coupons in a single transaction at ALBERTSONS.

The new IGA in town just opened.  Free eggs with no minimum purchase...coupon in the flyer.

The vegetable prices are par with target prices.  Some of the meat specials Are not bad.  I haven't completely toured the store.  We got hamburger buns.  They were 1.39.



Thanks for stopping by

Jane

The ads

The ads for May 15-21

TOP

Hamburger and hotdog buns . 99
Cauliflower 1.00
Lettuce 1.00
Strawberries 2/5
5 lbs potatoes .79.  @@@
Butter 1.77  @@@
Milk 1.99 @@@

ALBERTSONS
LOIN CHOPS 1.29

Buy 10
Pasta .49 net
Cake mix .49***
Ragu 1.29
Mustard .69
***on line coupon for .35 leaves .10
Eggs .79
Cheese 4.88
Yo plait 10/5. .40 coupon

QFC
Berries, B1 G 1
Pork shoulder 1.49

Eggs 1.00
Butter 1.99

SAFEWAYS
Chicken .99
7 percent hamburger 2.99
Johnsonville grilles 5.00 5 buck Friday
Strawberries 3/5. - 5 buck Fridays
Corn 3/1.00

That's about it.  I have some printable coupons.  I surfed the net so much exploring the world of couponing, I don't know where I got them.  Be sure to get on couponnconnections.com and check out the match ups.  
It should take you less time than brewing your morning coffee.  LOL

Thanks for stopping by

Jane
4+1 =5
better cheaper faster 
remember, you get paid for shopping not for cooking.

The basics. Step 2

Last time we talked about getting your list and going to two stores, getting in, and getting out.  The more time you spend in a store, the more money you will spend.

Besides the regular chain stores, there are what I call alternative stores.  I usually hit those on a cycle.
Grocery Outlet and Big Lots have a limited amount of items.  Big  Lots have less than Grocery Outlet.  I usually try to hit them about twice a month when I am in the area for other errands.

Costco and Winco are warehouse stores.  Costco is close by, and Winco is two towns away.  We go to Costco on a need to go basis and Winco about every six weeks, or when they send us a 10.00 coupon.  When you add the 20 percent to the already low prices, you can bring you bill down to over 60 percent or more savings.  Basicly you can get 100 dollars worth of groceries for 40.00.

The bakery outlet is a ways away for us, we hit there about once every 4-6 weeks.  We try to group things together.  When you buy a month or so worth, we usually get things for free besides the low prices. If bread goes on sale for less than the bread store, I supplement.  Yhe dollar store is cheaper on several things.  I got hot poppers, French fries, and mixed freezer veggies.  Also, salami and pepperoni is cheaper.  The Cable Guys beer bread is really good with chili etc type dishes.

Sales go on a 12 week cycle.  Each store is different. Your data should tell you each stores pattern.

One of the fastest ways to break a budget is to fall into the trap of going every day or every other day to the store to buy one or two days groceries at the most expensive store in town.  the other way is to go to one convenient store and buy anything you see that looks good.  No ONE store has the best buys.  Multiple stores offer you better selection and better prices.

Group your stores and other errands so that you use the least amount  of gas.  Plan your trip.

Once you are set up, you will probably spend less time than you are now . We can get in and out of four stores in a little over an hour including travel time.

If your time is in short supply, spending more time shopping and less time cooking will make you better off.  you get paid for shopping, not for cooking.
I would be remiss if I didn't address the coupon issue.  I use electronic coupons on my store cards.  I also use coupons if they are worth my while.  My daughter and I made lemon pound cakes.  She had purchased a slice at the big buck coffee company for 2.50.  It cost us 2.26 for a loaf and about ten minutes labor. T make two loaves.  I downloaded a coupon for cake mix--with the coupon that brand was twice as much as Betty Crocker.

If I can reduce my food bill with coupons for things I would ordinarily buy, I will.  Most of the things
I see manufacturers coupons for are things that are ready made stuff I wouldn't buy in the first place.

I am investigating the drug stores, but so far, I am not too impressed.  My first try was a disaster.

I bought baby food...the stuff that was supposed to be free, was gone.  I got pouches for the same rewards.  It did cost me some money.  When I went to redeem my rewards, I wasn't in the computer.
I had my rewards receipt so they manually did it, but it took the manager three tries to get it right.
My card should be coming soon, or I'm not going down that road again.  Walgreens is supposed to be coming to my neighborhood soon.  Their rewards seem confusing, but I'll have to see .  Bartells  is good when they are having a sale on food.

The bottom line, is that you want 1/2 price or more.  If you buy your target items at 50-60 percent off or more, the rest of the items will fall into place.

Seattle has a buy your bag policy, so remember to bring your cloth bags into the store.  I have them in the trunk, but don't alwaysremember  to bring them in.



Being brand sensitive will cost you,  many store brands are as good as or better than the old mainstays.  I am particular about hot dogs and tuna.

Stores have researched spending habits and human behavior.  They no all the tricks to make you spend more.  But, that's another post.

if you have a psychological problem with shopping, delegate that job to another family member.

Thanks for stopping by,

Jane



4+1=5
Better, cheaper, faster
Remember, you get paid for shopping, not for cooking

things I forgot
If produce comes in a xx pound bag, weigh a couple of bags, they can fluctuate as much as 25 percent.
Look up and down on the shelves.  Manufacturers pay slotting fees.  Basicly they rent shelves.  Eye level is more costly than up and down.  The most expensive things will be eye level.
Less packaging ie bulk isle is not necessarily the cheapest?..compare prices.

the basics ...one step at a time

Writing about the basics all at one time doesn't really cover the concept well.  you can 1/2 the average food bill easily without spending hours in the kitchen.  1/2 price groceries takes a 3 pronged approach. :

1. Planning and organizing
2. Shopping wisely
3. Cooking from scratch

Like just about anything one does in life, planning is the first step.  Once your initial planning is done, it takes very little time  to keep up.  .  If you are not the organized type and you hate it, consider finding someone else in the family to do this part.  

First, jot down 7 recipes that incorporate inexpensive sources of protein.  Try for 2-3. Dollars a pound average.  Examples are eggs, cheese, chicken, pork, some beef, fish, tuna, shellfish, beans.  

Then, add to the list until you have 14 meals.  This gives you enough to rotate and have a variety.  

Children usually have their favorites.  It makes life easier if you incorporate them into the plan....unless it is steak and lobster! LOL

Next, list the staples that you use a lot of.  For us that would be diced tomatoes, beans, instant mashed potatoes, refried beans, some soups, some black olives, green beans and corn, and tuna and salmon and pasta and pasta sauce.

Enter the item, the size of the package, the price, where you bought it and the date. You can do this in a small notebook or on a spread sheet.  

Hunts pasta sauce

5/12/13.     ALBERTSONS.       .85

4/30/13.      Winco.                     .78

Pretty soon you will see a pattern.  You want to find the rock bottom price.

I call it my target price.  This doesn't have to be a book LOL.  You should have about 10-15 items on your list.  When you see something on your list at the target price buy:

• As many as you can afford
• As many as the store will allow you to buy
• As many as you need to fill your space.

Whichever comes first.  If I use something once a month, I keep 6.  If I use something once a week. I keep 24.  The object is to never pay full price for anything.  

When the weekly ads come out, take a sheet of computer paper, divide it in four sections.  

Put the name a store on top of each quarter.  Now write down anything on your target list that's a cheap price and anything in the fruit and veggie line or the protein line that is a good price. Now, 

Cross off anything you don't need, and anything that is a lower price elsewhere.  

log really cheap staple prices in your data.  

Now pick the two stores with the best prices for things you need.  Go with your list, the ads, and any coupon you happen on to.  Get in, get your list, and get out.  The more time you spend in a store, the more you will spend.  

Couponconnectioms.com is a website that matches coupons with local store ads.

I don't spend a lot of time on it, but she does the research for you so few minutes can get you free stuff sometimes.  Some store cards now have electronic coupons.  

Next time : stores

Thanks for stopping by 

Jane

Four  plus one equals five

better cheaper faster 

remember you get paid for shopping not for cooking.

Big buck coffee store alert.

http://picky-palate.com/2012/03/22/starbucks-iced-lemon-pound-cake-copycat-recipe/

my daughter and granddaughter love Starbucks lemon pound cake. 
 It is 2.50 a SLICE.  See above address.  I haven't priced the recipe out, but
my unofficial calculations are that you can make
an entire loaf for the cost of one slice if you do the target price thing.  

Target price has nothing to do with the store with the same name. 

http://www.marthastewart.com/344409/glazed-lemon-pound-cake
Even cheaper.  

We made the wanta be lemon pound cake.  It cost 4.52 for two loaves.  
Assuming 8 slices per loaf at 2.50 a slice total cost is 40.00 for the two loaves.  
Savings 35.48.   It took us 10 minutes to put it through the food processor.  
That's 212.88 cents an hour.  

Happy Mothers Day !!

Happy Mothers Day

My daughter and granddaughter and I went to the zoo.  We packed a snack and water bottles. my daughter has a  pass, my granddaughter is free and I was  1/2 off  because  I am a grandmother.

There was a little girl that had her face painted. My daughter asked how  much it cost......18.00 marked down from 25.00 because of Mothers Day....I told my daughter I could feed us dinner for the entire work week for that!!!?  LOL

Onward....

I still need a couple of things from ALBERTSONS and some vegetable seeds with my rite aid Money.

Zucchini is almost free in the summer around here.  It grows everywhere and prolifically.

Zucchini sausage lasagna.

Make a red  sauce with sausage, garlic, onion, tomato, tomato  paste and Italian herbs.  Use 1 can tomato paste and two 28 ounce cans of tomatoes.  1 pound of cooked sausage.
Slice 3 zucchini lengthwise and cook.  I would put them in a 350 degree oven on a oiled sheet pan until soft.

In a bowl. Combine
1egg
1 pound ricotta cheese or cottage cheese (small curd)
Scant cup of parm cheese


Set aside.

Cook 8 lasagna noodles, drain.

Layer in 9X 13 pan
Red sauce
Noodles
Zucchini
Cheese mixture
Mozzarella

Repeat once

bake at 350 for 55 minutes.
Sprinkle with more mozzarella
Bake an additional 5 min or until cheese is melted.

Let stand  15  minute
Makes 12 servings
NOTES
I would 1/3 the recipe.  .  I might just use zucchini in place of the noodles.
Cottage cheese is a good alternative to ricotta.  I used to threaten spinach, squeeze it dry and add it to the wet cheese.  I, however wasn't using zucchini.  Cottage cheese and sour cream are much cheaper at Costco.  They were a buck at QFC.

Thanks for stopping by

Please share.

Jane
4+ 1 equals 5.
 better cheaper faster
remember , you get paid for shopping not for cooking.
 If  you're short on time spend more time shopping and less time cooking.
Plan your shopping trip.  A few minutes of planning, saves gas and time.

Shopping

I haven't gone down to look at tapes yet, but. Got everything else on my list done.  I grated a whole brick of cheese today adding some cornstarch to keeo it from clumping.  i havent tried that before.

SAFEWAYS had Tillamook for 3.99.  QFC had buy two sausage and get a biscuit package free.  Also SAFEWAYS had sirloin tips buy 1 , get one.  That makes dinner for three very fast and 4.00.  It used to be 3.50, but prices have risen.  Add a instant mashed potato and a veggie or salad and you have a dinner in five minutes flat for a little over 5.00.  I don't resort to that very  often, but his is a cheap alternative to ordering pizza or fish and chips when time crunched.

The strawberries were yuk at QFC again.  Beautiful at SAFEWAYS.  I didn't get to ALBERTSONS. We didn't need anything from the alternative stores so it wasn't worth the trip for eggs , apples, and muffins.

I found sour cream and cottage cheese for a buck as well as hot dog and hamburger buns.
I wound up spending my entire budget, but better luck next week.  I only bought fresh foods and the tip and sausage, , but I bought lots of fruit and dairy.

Finding things on sale, or finding what was on sale not fit to eat is why I usually do plans after I shop.  Had I only went to one store, I wouldn't have purchased strawberries.

We are still eating well on about 1/2 price.  Last nights dinner  was

Meat 1.80
Buns .50
Strawberries  2.00
Corn .66
4.96

In order to stay on about 70.00 for the typical two adult, two school aged children, dinners should average five dollars.  Breaking it down, your full budget is ten dollars a day.  By using leftovers, or a sandwich or salad for lunch and oatmeal or toast and fruit or youngest and toast for breakfast  you can make this work.

If you are on SNAP, your budget is about twice that.  Remember, though, pricing meals doesn't include the staples of butter, flour olive oil etc.  70.00 is a rock bottom guideline.  USDS STATS ARE BASED ON AGES OF FAMILY MEMBERS - and compensate for typical ages that tend to have hollow legs!  For practicality , I am working on a 2 adult, two school age children model, or three adults.  The stats are on the Internet and are within two months current.  Full  USDA stats are  146.00 a week.

It s a challenge to make it work.  It can be fun to see how creative you can be coming up with fun dinners.

Thanks for stopping by

4+1 =5

Better, cheaper, faster

Jane

Finally Friday

It's Friday and the Mothers Day week end is upon us.  lots of BBQ in the ads, it's going to rain here, but I suspect we will have fun anyway.  Maybe a trip to the zoo.

The vegetable garden gets dug today , so I guess we will be planting in the next few weeks.  

Zucchini grows well here.  Tomatoes are harder some  years, I usually get cherry tomatoes. Mast year we got one tomato!  the most expensive tomato on the planet, I'm sure LOL.  

Zucchini is way to expensive now, unless it is cheaper at the fresh food stand. Summer

Is coming......maybe 

Zucchini Tomato Soup

2 small,zucchini,chopped small.

1/4 cup onion, chopped small

Olive oil

Salt

1 cup spicy v8 juice

1small tomato, cut

Dash of pepper, and basil.  

Cheese and bacon garnish optional. 

Sauté the zucchini and onion in the olive oil .  Add remaining ingredients.  Cook until heated through.  

Garnish.  

I like to serve soup with toasted cheese sandwiches, cheese quesidas. Cheesy bread sticks, or hard crusty bread.  If we have something like this for dinner, I will add a pudding or creme brûlée or another desert that is rich in protein if we don't have cheese with it.  

The grocery outlet has a lot of interesting cheeses, some are inexpensive, some are not.

Pork Loin Roast garlic rub.  

2 WHOLE garlic bulbs

Olive oil

Pinch EACH of  basil and oregano

 Cut the  very top off of the garlic bulb.  Place each garlic bulb on foil drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil and oregano.  Bring  the foil up to cover the bulb. Bake at 425 for 30 minutes,  

Cool.  Squeeze garlic pulp out of the garlic.  Add 2 T lemon juice.  

Rub over roast before roasting.  This would probably taste good on chicken as well.  

I have discovered that some basic sauces and rubs, seasoning pairings, are good on many things.  

It makes life simpler.  

Thanks for stopping by

Please share

4+ 1 =5 -- Four people, one meal, 5 bucks .

better cheaper faster

 remember, you get paid for shopping -- not for cooking.

If you spend more time shopping, and less time cooking, your bottom line will be better.  

If you are short on time, spend  more time planning your trip and make the time up being more efficient in the kitchen. 

Jane

Terrific Thursday

Another beautiful day in the Pacicfic Northwest.  I get to spend the afternoon  looking for a twit that put a 250.00 sonics jacket and walked out of the store last week.  Maybe someone should have thought it was just a little strange to see someone with a leather coat on in 80 degree weather! LOL

Pork Chops with rice.

4 Pork Chops
Salt, pepper
2 T vegetable oil

1 tsp chicken better thang bouillon
2cups hot water

1 cup long grain rice.  Raw
Chopped onion and green pepper
2 tsp  W sauce
1 tsp cumin


in oven proof skillet, brown pork chops that have been salt and peppered about two minutes a side.
Remove from pan and keep warm.  Place better than boullion in water and dissolve.  Deglaze the pan with the chicken "stock". Stir in remaining ingredients.  Place chops over rice.  Cover.  Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until meat is done and rice is tender.

meals from the ads

Our breakdown is 

2 beef

2 pork or chicken

2 vegetarian

1 fish

• Pork chops and rice
• Chicken enchiladas
• Hamburgers, salads, corn on the cob
• Spaghetti with meat sauce
• Egg muffins. Fruit and yogurt parfaits , hash browns 
• Mac and cheese
• Mahi mahi , rice, grilled pineapple.  

Notes.  Eggs are a buck at ALBERTSONS and TOP.

Corn on the cob is also on sale.  Muffins at ALBERTSONS.  Mahi mahi is at ALBERTSONS for 3.99.buns are a buck at QFC.  Hash browns are a buck at the dollar store...suh. That was an intelligent post!!!

I am wondering of big lots or the dollar store take coupons.  I found a coupon for a buck off of tissue.  

Thanks for stopping by

4+1equals five

 better cheaper faster

 remember you get paid for shopping , not for cooking

Jane

The ads

Wednesday is the day for ads.

On the day 7 front, we went to friends house for dinner, so I have nothing to add to the list for today.

 QFC

Butter 2.00
4 lbs strawberries 6.99
Dryers 2.99
Braille pasta 1.00
Bread, buns 1.00

 
TOP

cheese 4.99/ 2 lbs
Eggs 1.50@@@
Strawberries 2.99@@@
English muffins .99@@@
Chili Nalley .77@@@
Corn .70

ALBERTSONS

 Strawberries 3/3.99
Eggs 1.00
English muffins 2/1.00
Brewers 2/6
7 percent hamburger 3.99
Buy 10/ save (5
Tomatoes .58


 SAFEWAYS

Carn 6/2
Tills mock 3.99*******cheese

5 buck Friday
Salmon
diGior no pizza


Thanks for stopping by

4+ 1equals five
better cheaper faster
 remember you get paid for shopping , not for cooking

Tuesday....

I look at the red plum coupons in the grocery insert.  most of the time they are for expensive stuff that I would never buy in the first place..  A coupon is not a bargain if it is for high  priced ready made stuff.
This is  second time around, the bloody machine erased my blog.

I thought I might be missing something, so I should explore the world of coupons.  If I can't make a legitimate bargain in a short amount of time, it's not worth it.  While spending a little time prepping for your shopping trip is definitely worth while, I am not for spending twenty hours a week and several hundreds dollars on newspapers just to get coupons for something  we are not likely to eat anyway.  it has to be practical.

Now when I can expend the effort of a few mouse clicks and get more than free baby food, I will do it. Even if the food is not appropriate for my grandchild, it can very well go to the food bank on the way home.  I would make that effort if we didn't have a baby at home.  this is America, no child should go hungry....if we can feed the starving......we can surely  feed our own especially if I can do it for more than free.

Ps they had no baby food jars at either rite aid.m I did get pouches also on the rewards.  It mad pouches really cheap.  Not exactly free, but pretty cheap.  The rewards can be used from the 8th to the 21 st. And I got another 1 coupon.

More than free alert

I was playing around on the Internet...have to stay in bed , so I might as well make myself useful.  haha.

Rite Aid has a coupon for baby food......please don't stop reading cause you don't have a baby.    

If you buy six baby food with the coupon, it costs .91 less than the nine dollars you get in store credit.
Essentially, the baby food is FREE.  you are money ahead to give a baby food for a couple of days!
I am positive the food bank would welcome the donation!!!!


I , in the interest of trying to lower food bills any way possible, without taking my entire day up doing it, watched extreme couponing the other night.  It was a gal from Lynnwood.  I am sure they were shopping at the Lynnwood Fred Meyers.  First of all, it sounded to me that she was breaking rules that I understood all coupons to say.  the thing that stood out the most was that they had never tasted couscous and yet she purchased some 134 boxes of it to use in a year.  That's 2.5 boxes a week.
She also bought 93 bottles of hot sauce and 600 candy bars,  Who needs that much hot sauce?  And I'll bet the kids dentist  isn't thrilled with 600 candy bars either!!!!

I found a good website.   coupon connections,com.   She is writing out of Lynnwood and pairs local coupons with local sales.  I wouldn't spend a lot of time on it, but if I had access to the ads and I needed the product, and if it was free or  below my target price, I might be tempted.

The bottom line is it is worth my time if  is it something I need or can give to the food bank.

Jane

Day 5. Sunday

As a caveat ,I just got out of surgery and am still groggy, so this could be interesting.  Early in the day yesterday, I roasted the pork tenderloin.  Last night we ate on the porch.  We had Pork tenderloin, cucumber salad (English) brown rice and strawberries and cream.

It was an interesting day, I got a bunch of work done and finished an order  that I need to get out.  I made up a flyer of the latest perp passing bad plastic to take to the mall.  My husband was driving,when as irony would have it, he got a ticket for  talking on the phone to my daughter in the exact same place as I found the last perp.  We need the day with my husband cutting his finger!

As summer is coming truly it is related to Mr. submitting your instructions or animal the wash them is Steve this is beleaguer it produces a distortion with a pretty great with vinegar peppery taste
So much for dictating while under sedation.

Summer  is coming truly it is. nasturtium vinegar is vinegar was a peppery taste-- very good with salads .  just steep  cleaned  flowers and regular white vinegar . Strain into a pan , preferably non metallic, and bring almost to a boil.,,

Apple and carrot slaw

1/2 cabbage head,shredded
2 large carrots,,shredded
1 medium apple,finely chopped
1/4'cup plus 1Tmayo
Pinch sugar
1 tsp vinegar
Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients,  cover and chill

mushroom spinach salad


Spinach,
sliced mushrooms
Red onion rings

Italian dressing

Salads are easy way to diminish the vegetable bin.  you can  use Bitts and snatches  of things to make salads interesting while all the while cleaning salad bin out.

Guess that's all.
Thanks for stopping by
Please share

Remember
4+ one is five
better cheaper faster

Jane













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