Kitchen management

Monday is kitchen management day.   Winco has a special with coupon at the store or buy a 1/2 of a ham and get a package of bacon for free.    That makes a three pound ham seven dollars or so.   A three pound ham goes a long ways.

It's not something we eat every day, so once or twice a year won't kill us.   LOL

The first step is to look at your meal plans and see what you can do ahead to make life easier.   This weeks plans.  This week, there is not much that can hold a few days: most of the cooking can be done in the morning each day.

• Clean the fridge and organize it.   Sweet on one refrigerator door shelf,the rest on the other.   Milk gets a shelf and salad dressing gets another.  Top taller shelf gets the oversized things, next floor tortillas, eggs, ; dairy ( yogurt is in a bin ) and the bottom shelf is for the bread bucket and the celery crisper.    
• We have cheese drawer, vegetable drawer, and meat drawer.   
• Clean out the drawers and wash them.  I line the drawers with paper towel.    
• Wash the stove top and filter.   
• Wash the floor 
• Organize the pantry : take inventory 

Starting the week clean and organized goes a long ways in taking the stress out of meals.    

Better, cheaper, faster for five dollar or less dinners.    Our average weekly food budget was about 55 a week including stocking.   Without stock, it was 40.00 a week.   The USDA stars for the three of us for the lowest category is about 110.00 .   Note : my daughter reimburses me for daughters part.   

This is done by paying  1/2 price for our food and buying best quality more economical cuts of meat,  

All the while, we are watching our fat, sugar, and salt consumption by cooking scratch instead of packaged products and finding scratch recipes that take minimal time to make dinners more efficient.  

Yes, you can have it all!    

Grocery hauls : last week Safeways and QFC

Weekly totals from 2-8 of April.

Fred Meyers  34.86 

Safeways 14.42 

QFC 12.15 

Total 61.43 minis stocking leaves 39.93
Obviously we ate some stock products. Still, averagemos less than 1/2'tue usda stats for our family for thrifty food eaten at home.   

QFC buy six, save three and used coupons total 12.15 and 9.74 was stocking 

Milk .99

Kens dressing 199 

Ritz crackers  188 less .75!

Mustard .50 on clearance 

Sugar was 2.00 for four pounds. 

Safeways

Cheese,/2 lbs. 4.99

Eggs 2 dozen 156

Salmon burgers 4.99

Strawberries 188 

Total 14.42 and 6.55 was stock 

Meal plans for week of April 10.

Meal plans: we work on a protein based matrix.   It consists of 1 beef, 1 fish or shellfish, 2 vegetarian , and three pork or chicken meals.  

• Breakfast 4 dinner 
• Pizza 
• Buttermilk biscuits with chicken pot pie 
• Pork chops. Scalloped potatoes. Broccoli 
• Brats with red potatoes, corn on the cob, and onion.    
• Sloppy joes. French fries (oven roasted ) salad 
• FIsh packets with green beans and rice 

Yesterday, I made rice mix, and dried apples and made Chilli.  The chili was quick because I just dumped two packets of already cooked , de-farted frozen ground beef on the insta pit and added tomatoes, chillis, and homemade  taco seasoning to it,    

 So far, we dried  eggs, apples. Bananas, carrots and celery.  

Tomorrow's Fred Meyers ad

The ad for tomorrow.   Easter savings

Spiral ham  1.47
Hamburger , 10 percent  fat  3.77
Strawberries 2/3
Butter 2.50
Sweet potatoes .99
Green beans 1.29
Oranges .99
Cantaloupe 2/5 - the last time I saw them at FM at that price they were picked before they were ripe.  
Kroger vegetables, tomatoes 🍅 and beans 2/1 - this is a stock up price.  





Note :

I can usually get ground beef with 7 percent fat at Winco 3.28
Heritage Farms chicken breast are 199.  Last week I got Foster Farms for less and de-boned it.   Foster far,s is Washington grown and processed and heritage  farms are southern grown  and can be processed in China .


The trick of Groceries on the Cheap is to buy good food cheap ; not buy cheap food.    You base your meals in ingredients that are on the keastmexoemsove side , but buy the best quality you can find,   You don't eat a lot of fresh pineapple or asparagus, but maybe apples and green beans instead.    We always have fresh fruit and berries of some kind and basic fresh veggies.    By sticking to a specific group of different cuts of meat you have the option of buying in bulk even if you have a small family and rotating your stock.  Buying a bulk rotation of meat when it's on a good sale is the key to eating well while saving money.  

My stock items this week would ve the diced tomatoes. Simplifying the amount of things you stock is key in being able to remember your RBP on the foods you buy on a regular basis.  

Stocking the basics at their RBP is the key to  eating at 1/2 price and a,ways having somethings no in the house to make a meal out of.  

Friday recipe : made more healthy,

Bacon cheeseburger potato pie - yum!  Recipe is adjusted to be a bit more healthy.  

1 pound 7 percent fat hamburger ( or mixture of low fat ground  meats)
1/2 cup homemade breadcrumbs
1 tsp  onion powder
2 tsp mustard
1/4 cup Tomato sauce
Make meatloaf mixture, spread in bottom and up sides of a pie plate.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.   Drain any grease from pan.  

Make a packet of mashed potatoes.   ( or equivalent of homemade mashed potatoes )
Fill pie plate that has been drained with the mashed potatoes. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes or until the meat tests done (160 degrees and no longer pink )

Add 1/2 cup of grated cheese to the top of the mashed potatoes and return to the oven for five minutes or until the cheese is melted.  

Take out of the oven and top with  2 slices of cooked crumbled bacon of your choice and sliced tomatoes.  

Let stand five minutes before serving.  

I cut from the original recipe

• The fat in the burger 
• The ketchup  in the meatloaf ( HFCS) 
• 1/2 of the cheese 🧀 
• 1/2 of the bacon and you can use turkey bacon 🥓 

Bullet day : ten ways to cut sugar and carbs

It is bullet day - keeping with the theme of yesterday,we will tackle sugar.  Reducing our sugar consumption will help is loose weight and save money too.    So, here are ways to reduce our sugar intake.

• Stop adding sugar to coffee and tea.   
• Avoid soda pop and substitute a sparkling water with no sodium and sugar or just plain water,   
• Stop buying sugar laden cold cereal.   Try oatmeal with some fruit and a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar.   I keep equal parts in a shaker.   The cinnamon is supposed to be good for diabetes ??? And it cuts the sugar. 
• When baking, you can frequently use less sugar in a recipe. Using recipes from the depression  era or the WWII era is a great resource,   
• A lot of sauces and dressings call for sugar and can be avoided or you can use less product or make them with less sugar.   
• Make that candy bar a seldom treat instead of a daily occurrence.   
• Count your carbs.   It's the easiest way to reduce your sugar in your diet and reduce calories all  the while.    If it's a desert or snack it needs to be less than 20.   
• Read labels ,   Things you would never dream that there was sugar in, have sugar.   
• Catsup has sugar, sometimes HFCS thatnis exceptionally bad.  Now they are calling it natural sugar in some cases.   
•  Peanut butter has sugar and so does Nutella.   Read labels, so,e have less hydrogenated oil and sugar than others,   The ingredients are listed in order of volume.    

Wednesday : the ads 4/5

Alberways
Shank ham .98
Spiral ham 1.37


Fruit sale .88
Avacadoe
Bell peppers, red and orange
Tomatoes on the vine

Black or blue berries 3.99
Strawberries 2.88
Cheese 4.99-2 lbs
Eggs .78@@

QFC
Boneless skinless chicken breast 8.00 BOGO - not a bargain

18 Ct eggs 2/3 - cheaper at Alberways


Buy six, save three - net prices
Milk .99
Ritz 1.88.
Ragu pasta 199$$?
Kens dressing 1.99$$?

Blackberries 2/4
Green beans 1.79


GO
Red Barron pizza 3/7.99
Campbells cream soups buy 2 get one limit 2 free net .66 a can

Tuesday Talk

 This weekend I purchased a book from the dollar store  titled "salt sugar fat". It was written by Michael Moss.  It is about a secret Meeting between the major food producers about lowering the salt, sugar, fat in processed foods.    It was hosted by Pillsbury,    It is interesting to note that General Mills has since bought out Pillsbury.  

It has been estimated that during a year the average American eats seventy pounds of sugar , that equates to 22 teaspoons a day and twice the RDA of salt a day,   Most of the salt is not consumed by using a salt shaker.   Basically, it is hidden on processed foods.    The more things you can cook from scratch, the more control you have of the salt, , sugar and fat on your diet.  

Salt sugar and fat contribute to heart disease and obesity.   Before we go on diets to eliminate whole food groups, we can take baby steps on eliminating a lot of salt, sugar and fat on our diets.   It's an easy way to eat more healthy and spend spend less on our foods.   Rarely does a ready made food cost less than scratch,   Pasta sauce is about the only thing that is truly cheaper and you can watch the ingredients and use coupons,   Tortillas have fat whether  you make them or buy them.  

This is an interesting book that goes into the natural tendencies to crave salt, sugar and fat and howmdood manufactirers relate to that concept.    It's a good read.  

Bottom line : encouraging children to make healthy choices and limiting sweets or making them yourself with less sugar is a good thing,   This blog has been developing easy, quick, scratch recipes to make scratch food as easy as using a box.    Controlled far,mskgar, and salt and less money is a winning combination.  

Kitchen management

Time to take a different look at kitchen management.   I'm on a mission to find ways to cut the budget.   It's a challenge and I'm always up for a new challenge. Keeping your creative spirit and learning new things is what keeps us young. Being in a mission to try a new dinner a week to shake things up and keep meals from becoming boring .  

We have had a food saver for years.    We have had a dehydrated for years.   This weekend we got some quart canning jars. Lately, we have only used the dehydrater for making beef jerkey,    I have been dehydrating eggs while they are a dollar.    Some time during the year they have been known to be upwards of two dollars.    Still a good protein bargain, but keeping a stable dollar a dozen is better.  
I also dehydrated carrots 🥕 and celery because it was still good , but approaching  past  prime time!  

I got four split chicken breasts for 1.29 a pound and de- boned them, cooking the bones for stock and meat and freezing the breasts.  I used some dehydrated carrots and celery to make the stock,   The carrot coins re- hydrated  and you would never know they had been dehydrated.  

Prep work for this weeks kitchen management - motivational Monday

• Make bread from dough in fridge: make new dough 
• Clean vegetable and meat compartment 
• De hydrate anything in abundance.  
• Make rice the day of the enchaladas and plan the cream of chicken for the next day,   
• Plan to use the leftover taco meat tonight firneither baked ziti or impossible pie 
• Wash the kitchen floor 
• Suck the jars of dehydrated vegetables and eggs.   
• Post the Fred Meyer slip in the food spread sheet,   
• Mark the meal plan and things to use up list in the white board.   

Prepping , stair stepping, and starting the week organized goes a long ways to make meals quick and easy and still keep a small budget together.   

FM Haul

We went FM .  Total spent 37.06 minis tissue is (2.20) equals 34.86.  
We are under budget  and have a months worth of some dairy . And stock chicken breasts .  

Yoplait, including chocolate .23 using coupons
Eggs .99
Blue bunny 2.75 inckuding coupons
Lunch meat 2.50
Cheese 2.50 lb
2 lbs strawberries 2.99
4. chicken  breasts, 1.29 lb was 5.93
Large cottage cheese and sour cream 1.88
Cream cheese .99
Large English muffins 1.67

Meal plans

This  week I tried to add different meals so we are not on a complete rut.   I have an abundance of pasta sauce and enchalada sauce purchased  for a dime .    I looked to pinterest for inspiration and the first recipe was found on Pinterest.  

• No roll Mexican rice enchaladas - lettuce and tomato 🍅 
• Pizza 
• Baked ziti, salad 
• Impossible vegetable pie 
• Creamed chicken on rice 
• Fish packets : fish, rice, broccoli 
• Breakfast 4 dinner : French toast , fruit, bacon 

Notes : We bought jasmine rice to try .  It's about ten cents a serving vs three cents a serving,    This is a good week for comparison.   Yesterday I made blueberry white chocolate chip  muffins.  I made muffin mix from scratch from Taste of Home.   The list a lot of variations.  I have written for Taste of Home in the past and their recipes are usually very good and down to earth,    I use Betty crickermfir another source.   Last week we got breadmfor 2/1; this is the reason we are having French toast for our breakfast for dinner.   Eggs are a dollar at Fred Meyer this week.    

I got wide mouth canning cars yesterday.   Target was the cheapest I could find.  I have a wide mouth vacuume sealer.  I have been dehydrating foods as I see that they may be in need of preserving.   Today , we are dehydrating eggs.    

Fred Meyers ad for tomorrow

note  : tomorrow's ad

Four day sale SMTW

Kroger cheese -8 ounces - 2/5 -
Yoplait 3/1 -limit 6 - coupons for .50 off five  on the internet net .23 ea when you buy 5 .
Cream cheese .99
Sour cream or cottage cheese 1.88


Regular sale

Eggs .99
Strawberries 2.99
Radishes/green onions 2/.99

FF split chicken breast 1.29

My pick for rotation would be the chicken breast.   It's real easy to cut the rib portion off and you have the benefit of chicken stock and chicken bits for another recipe.

Quarterly recap and Winco haul

Our quarterly spreadsheet is done for the first quarter of 2017.  We spent a total of 55.24 a week on food for three of us -- total including stock.  Total spent minus stock was 40.16.  The USDA total for us is 113.19.   We are sitting at a lot less than fifty percent.    Even stocking, we are less than fifty percent.

Winco haul formday was a quick fill in,

•  Green chillis - .58 farmcheaoer than the name brands 
• Eggs (1.18 ez) 
• Celery .98
• 2 Chinese entrees 4.56 minis 100 coupon (lunch out ) 
• 2 lbs carrots .98
• Bricolli , fresh 3.98
• 5 yogurt at .58 less .50 coupon 
• Total 14.12.  

• 
  

Friday recipe day

Today is Friday recipe day.    This week we had Buffalo Chicken Pizza.  It's a blue cheese lovers delight, but if you don't like blue cheese, it can be left out and substituted.    I think everyone knows how to build a pizza.so I will just list the ingredients,

1. Homemade pizza crust: ours is 2 cups flour, 1-1/2 tsp yeast, 3/4 tsp salt, and 3/4 cup of WARM water with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.   Process flour to mix, add water and oil through the tube until dough forms a ball.   Take out of processed and flatten on a floured surface.   You can use a rolling pin, or just your hands,   We make a rectangle because   it's easier.  Bake at 450 for about 8 minutes,   You are looking for a somewhat cooked bottom crust.    
2. Take out of oven and fill the crust.    
3. Spread with blue cheese dressing 
4. Place cooked , small diced chicken on a bowl and toss it with hot sauce to your "hit" liking 
5. Place chicken on crust
6. Next, sweet red pepper chunks 
7. Blue cheese.  We add some motts and parm to neutralize the pungent taste of the blue cheese.   
8. Finish baking off the pizza an additional five or so minutes until thecheese is melted and the bottom is browned and crusty.   

Enjoy. 

Alternative would use mild red pepper sauce, skip the blue cheese and use ranch dressing,  

Bullet day : five easy foil pack dinners

Foil Paxk  dinners aren't new.   They are sooo old that I have a readers digest cookbook on them from the 70s.    They are a hit because there is almost no cleanup, the kids think ot hobo food, and you can adjust search persons packet for their taste.  If hubby doesn't like mushrooms, you can leave them off his- all the more for you, right! Lol.

The basics are for all recipes.    Use a square of foil large enough to wear the portion and seal well.
Spray or grease the foil. If cooking in foil bothers you, you can line the foil with parchment ,   Most of the time , you place the meat or protein down first and add a starch and veggie on top.   Seal the foil and place on cookie sheet to bake in oven, or you can cook it  on the grill.  

1. Layer 1/2 cup of COOKED rice 🍚, a serving of white fish , salt and pepper, and fresh green beans,   Bake at 400 for 30 minutes .  Test fish for doneness .
2. Bread stuffing leftover or prepared mix with  drained can of diced tomatoes added.   boneless  chicken breast or part of one, basil and some grated cheese.   Bake at 400 for 30 minutes test chicken for doneness.   ( temp and no longer pink. ) 
3. Bread stuffing leftover or prepared , boneless chicken breast , brocolli, cheese, bacon,  ranch dressing,   400 degrees -30 minutes 
4.  Cube raw chicken breast, cubes of red and green peppers, pineapple chunks,  toss with  a teriyaki sauce.  Place cooked rice on bottom, add portion of meat mixture, and seal.    400 degrees for 30-35 minites, test for doneness,   
5. Prepare ground meat patties with  the lowest fat ground beef, Half a can of green chillis, grated cheese,   and taco seasoning to taste.  Place on bottom of foil.   Mix can or frozen corn 🌽 with the rest of the can   if chillis.    Bake at 450 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until meat is done.   It will depend on the thickness of the patty. 

The ads - Alberways?

QFC s ad last week was a two week ad.  

Alberways ( a combination of Safeways and Albertsons: their ads are identical.   )

Halos 299$$
7 percent ground beef
Milk - regular or chocolate 1.79@@


Not much there .  My rotation protein would be the 7 percent hamburger.  

Other notes :
I had a bunch of carrots,   I dried three pounds of carrots and now have a quart deli container of carrots.  Drying veggies can preserve food before it goes bad and frees up freezer space,    We have been working on depleating the freezer.  

Idea day:'doctor 's orders diets and budget constraints.

Often these days, doctors are finding things we are essentially allergic to -- foods or food groups that our bodies don't take kindly to.  

Some doctors think  it is because foods weren't introduced to children early enough and their bodies didn't get acclimated to them.   Some things are easy to change a diet to accommodate.    Like eliminating entire food groups, not so much. And, doing it on a strict midget may,not be quite so was either.

In general, special equates to dollar signs.   I'm not a nutritionist, these are my observations.  Before you start any diet, consult your nutrition expert   ,  these are just thoughts on finding low cost specialty foods.  .

All of us should avoid too much sugar, salt, saturated fats, HFCS, and trans fats: hydrogenated oils.
I work hard to buy good oils to cook with  and lean cuts of meat.   Avoid salt and too much sugar.

But, what about lactose intolerant, gluten free, diabetic diets.

Diabetic is the one of those that I can identify with.  It's pretty easy  and really you only have to eliminate a lot of sugar and starch,   You can't give it up altogether, but you can count your carbs and measure your portions. mostly I drink black coffee, black tea, or water.   As with any diet, generally,  fiber is good.

Lactose intolerant or non dairy is harder.   Some use sky  milk or almond milk.   Grocery outlet carries that at a lower price.    As with  any food, knowing it  takes a little shopping, but once you discover the store that has typically the lowest price, you have it made.  You still have to have a heads up because things change.  It used to be coffee was cheapest at grocery outlet. It's not anymore.   I just check every time I shop.   It's a quick glance.   Cheese can be made from chickpeas,, I'm told.   I did read in passing that there was an additive that compensated for the lactose,   I would check with your nutrition expert.   .

Gluten free is another diet that can be pricey.   There are other grains that can be made into flour,   It might lay to grind your own.   Rode is a good alternative.   Some specialty foods are actually cheaper at PCC and central market because they sell more of them.  Some "special" stores have a 42 percent mark up.  That's huge,

Living on a dime is a web site that addresses the gluten free does because she is on one for CFS. April  Holly Smith has a u tube channel and she is dairy free.

I have found that food prices vary dramatically in different parts of the country,   Some of it, like fresh produce  I get, some things are generic and, frankly, I think it's a matter of what the traffic will bear.   I see no reason why ground turkey should be a dollar some places and almost five others for the same brand.  When turkey is more expensive than ground beef for the same fat content, it doesn't make sense.  Beef has more iron.  

You can cut costs on a specialty diet by shopping for the best prices and eliminating the food altogether. When  eliminating a food group, you need to consult a nutritionalist  to find the foods you need to add to your diet to compensate.

Kitchen management day,

Other vlogs are talking about spring cleaning .    Do people really still sprimg clean ?  I remember my mother using the utility cart to gather her supplies and a big bucket  of spic  n span to spring clean.   These days, a lot of people work outside the home and time is in short supply.  I think that's a good argument for zone cleaning,  

Kitchen management takes a different approach and cleans a little at a time. Cleaning one drawer or cabinet at a time gets  the job done in pieces.  

For anyone that doesn't know what kitchen management is , or os prepping and cleaning for the week ahead.   It saves a lot of time and you are doing the clean  up once.   Meal time can be hectic and having a head start in dinner is a great advantage,  

1. Go over the plans for the week.   Schedule an easy dinner for those days you know are going to be especially busy.    
2. Chop anything that can be chopped ahead of time,    A green salad can be made and out on a bowl with a oaoer towel in the bottom and you can eat on it all week,    This won't necessarily work if  you aremisong organic veggies.   
3. Clean the fridge and organize .   Putting the same kinds of things in a shelf saves how noting time: dairy, leftovers, condiments amd bottles that are too tall. 
4. Clean the meat drawer and nitemwhat needs to be eaten,    
5. We have amcheese drawer. Do the cheese bins need to be filled.   Grate cheese? 
6. Bread dough in the bread bucket? 
7. Make bread? 
8. Precook any meat that is going to be used  in the next two days.   
9. Make cookies or any granola bars etc that you will need.    I have been saving any bits from the bottom of cereal. Pretzels etc for adds into rice crispy treats.   Anything that sounds good.   
10. Pick one extra thing,    The oven? The top of the Fridge! , the microwave?   For a deep clean - organize the pantry.?    
11. Wash the counters and the outside of any appliances.    
12. Premake or load a school lunch basket for the week.    When granddaughter had to bring lunch, we fixed a basket in a lower cabinet  with fruit cups, cereal bars, yogurt, spoons, napkins etc so she could load her lunch box.   
13. Wash the floor .

Starting the week organized saves a lot of hassle and time. 

Fred Meyer and Winco

Today, we went to FM and Winco to fill in with specials and coupons,    Total 14.56. Total for the month is close to fifty dollars  a week and that includes stocking .  

Winco
Taco shells
Blue bunny ice cream cones with coupon
Jasmine rice -5 lbs ( to try )


Fred Meyers

Strawberries
Green beans
Radishes
Cottage cheese
Lettuce
Cucumbers

That's it.   We did som shopping alreadymthis week, a just filled in a few holes.  

 

Meal plans -march 27

Make a plan, or plan to fail.   Meal plans are a way to keep on track and make your life easier.   Our meal plans don't necessarily happen on a specific day, bit most of the time they  happen,  plans change and we still need to punt every now and then.

• Spicy peanut chicken (BC) , rice , mandarin oranges
• Pack food - cheese and crackers to potluck.   
• Spaghetti and red sauce, parm, green beans 
• Baked cod , rice mix rice, honey-ginger carrots 🥕 
• Buffalo chicken pizza 🍕 
• Tacos  , refried beans, rice 🌮 
• Breakfast for dinner.: blueberry waffles, sausage, fruit 🍉 

Notes : 

1. Spicy peanut chicken is in the in line Betty Crocker cookbook.   Rice 🍚 from bulk (.03 serving) mandarin oranges 🍊Are on sale and there are coupons out there. 
2. Cheese and crackers ( pot luck) 
3. Spaghetti and red sauce : red sauce was .84 at Safeways with the basket coupon. Speghetti is .69 at FM. Fresh parm was on sale at FM a few weeks ago.  My terminology for parm is any hard cheese that is the cheapest when I need to replenish stock.  Parm, Romano, Asiago......green beans I'm still working in .33 from Winco.    
4. Baked cod , (Safeways ) seasoned rice mix homemade, carrots 🥕 cooked with honey and ginger - gotta have some color on an otherwise white plate!   
5.  Buffalo chicken pizza 🍕: blue cheese dressing (or ranch) chicken shreds that are marinated in a hot sauce, motts, diced red peppers, blue cheese. 
6. Tacos , homemade refried beans (pressure cooker, rice 🍚 with salsa.   
7. Breakfast 4 dinner : blueberry waffles scratch, sausage from  last weeks FM, berries.   

Numbers 4 and 6 are the priciest, but the rest are well within the low side of a five dollar budget.   

They average. By averaging, you can afford more variety. Trying something new ( spicy peanut chicken ) is another way to avoid boredom.