Old story....it was Christmas of 1972. I was suddenly a single mother with a pay check of 202.00 twice a month and 185.00 in daycare to pay that month (half from the first paycheck and 1/2 from the second) and 145 dollars in rent. Not to mention a car payment (28.00) a car insurance payment for myself and my not so soon to be ex, and a utility bill. It was Christmas, and saying we had no money would have been an understatement. I had 5.12 in the savings.
My soon to be ex had been out of work with no unemployment for over a year. I had bought a case of tuna some time back when it was .28 a can at safeways. I still had a bit of food. I called welfare to see if I could get help and was told that what I had to pay for daycare didn’t matter, I earned too much. It was put your big girl pants on and punt time.
No one can predict the future. People have had times when the federal government was on hold, you still had to work, but got no pay. People can get laid off and have no unemployment. Yes, in this state if you are a non profit, you can opt out of paying unemployment insurance. You can work for minimum wage and have no fall back if the business closes or downsizes. One Christmas, I -5 was under water and the food trucks couldn’t get to Seattle. Grocery stores were running out of food.
In other words, bleep happens and having a small food storage is your best insurance policy against being hung out to dry. Especially. If you have purchased it for 50 cents on the dollar. Nowhere these days can you get a better return on your money and not take a big risk. It wasn’t long ago that we were getting 3/10 of a percent on our certificate of deposit at the bank.
Getting a small 4-6 week supply of food can be done one can or box at a time. Homemade mixes keep you from the preservatives, but cans and boxes of some things can be pretty tasty if you can’t get to a grocery store or you have t seen a paycheck for a few weeks.
The other asset to having a four to six week supply is that you can take advantage of sales and pay half price for your food. It makes it a whole lot easier to eat good for for a price of four dollars a day or less.
Remember four dollars a day is the amount you totally spend on food. It is, it buying a lot of food for a lot of money and only putting four dollars worth per person on the table. Buying your food at RBP is the key, otherwise feeding a teen aged child could be more than difficult.
Tuesday, September 4, 2018
How did she do that? - red peppers
Last week there were coloured peppers on sale for a dollar. The theme of a lot of ‘new’ dishes are vegetable and herb combinations. You can make economical recipes and not miss the new flavor combinations.
Chicken with roasted red pepper sauce.
1/2 lb penne pasta , cooked
1 red pepper, roasted with garlic and olive oil in a 400 degree oven. Peel peppers and put through. The food processer or blender.
Make ‘white’ sauce with 1 T olive oil, 1T flour, add 1 1/4 cup milk stir with whisk. Add processed red peppers and heat through.
Cook chicken ( 1 pound) in insta pot.
Pour sauce over pasta and chicken.
Chicken with roasted red pepper sauce.
1/2 lb penne pasta , cooked
1 red pepper, roasted with garlic and olive oil in a 400 degree oven. Peel peppers and put through. The food processer or blender.
Make ‘white’ sauce with 1 T olive oil, 1T flour, add 1 1/4 cup milk stir with whisk. Add processed red peppers and heat through.
Cook chicken ( 1 pound) in insta pot.
Pour sauce over pasta and chicken.
Monday, September 3, 2018
Kitchen Management aka meal prep
Kitchen management is a tool to save time and money in the kitchen, It also deep cleans on a rotation basis so your kitchen is always in a stage of clean.
Reminder if meals :
The last blast of summer
- Brats, oven roasted peppers, potatoes, and carrots.
- Ham and cheese subs, baked, corn on cob , salad
- Hot dogs, corn on the cob. Salad
- Tacos, homemade refried beans (insta pot)
- Vegetable enchiladas with lettuce and tomato (BC)
- Salmon patties. Seasoned rice, green beans
- Breakfast for dinner
- Wash kitchen floor
- Clean out refrigerator and dump anything dead.
- Make a,note of things that need to be used up.
- We got plums gifted to us . So, we will be making jam and dehydrating some.
- Making pancakes from homemade mix for school breakfasts.
- Wash potatoes and carrots with vinegar water. Dry.
- Wash salad greens
- Wash kitchen cabinets
12 things not to buy .....
Never say never, but...
- Bread crumbs. Why pay upwards of 2.00 a pound for someone else’s dry bread and throw your heels away. Anytime you have bread heels or rolls that are gong stale, process them in the food processor and put them on a pan with sides in the oven that you have just used. Or put them in the oven to dry and then grate them if you don’t have a food processor. I used to grate them on the deck with a sheet pan under the box grater.
- Breading ( shake n bake ). Mix in equal parts dry breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese, and chopped nuts. A low carb version of breading that tastes delightful.
- Chicken stock in boxes or cans .The cost is prohibitive. At three dollars, that’s most of the budget for a five dollar dinner. In order to maintain a four dollar a day budget for a family of four, you need five dollar dinners, Use chicken bouillon, or make it from scratch. The same holds true for veggie stock or beef.
- I used to say pizza sauce, but I discovered pizza sauce at the DT. Freeze it in ice cube tray, and pull out 2cubes per pizza.
- Meals in bags in the freezer case especially those that you add the meat to. It is basically sauce, starch, and veggies. Do it yourself, find the recipes for the sauces your family likes. Most of them take a few staple ingredients.
- Hamburger/tuna meal boxes. Even at a dollar, it’s a huge waste. The one my daughter and I dissected, had 4.2 ounces of pasta and 1.57 ounces of a cheese sauce that had no cheese in it. You added milk to make it cheese. Much better off buying a box of pasta and using real cheese without the preservatives. You can still get Barilla pasta at the DT.
- Frozen pancakes or waffles. Flour is really cheap in large bags at Costco. I suspect Sams club would be the same. Even buying a ten pound bag from the regular store is much cheaper than buying ready made. You can use bisquick or a recipe for a mix and do it ahead of you are in a hurry, You can freeze your own and use cereal box liners between pancakes. Or make french toast and freeze.
- You will find some cream soups in my pantry on a limited basis. Cream soup mix takes just a few minutes and saves a lot of money. Even with coupons, the cost is becoming prohibitive on a five dollar dinner budget. If an ingredient costs more than the protein, there is a problem.
- Shortening, lard and some other oils. The information that I found says that hydrogenated oils thicken your blood. Canola oil and some vegetable oils along with olive oil are better alternatives. Butter in moderation is better than some of those fake butters. Palm oil is bad for you. If it is bad in Nutella, it is equally bad in your fake butter. Some fake butters may be better than others. Read the ingredients and look them up. You can usually find the ingredients in line before you go to the store.
- Parmesan cheese in the green cans. It’s old. It has wood pulp in it. Look closely at the ingredients, they try to hide it on heir description, but it’s there.
- Look closely at the boxed Mac and cheese ( homemade is better) . Some have TSP in them. You can also find tsp in some kids cereals. TSP is a detergent that we used to sell at the paint store where I worked. It was used to degrease and clean walls before painting. You needed to use rubber gloves to protect your hands. Enough said.
- Fake maple syrup. Real maple syrup is worth the cost, it knowing children they don’t know the word moderation. I’d
- If you can, making a fruit syrup and controlling the sugar would be a good alternative. At least they would be getting the benefit of the fruit.
Sunday, September 2, 2018
Meal plans for week of 9/2/18
Meal Plans are a tool used to make life easier and less hectic during the dinner hour, Along with Kitchen Management it just makes dinners easier and more predictable,
- Brats, roasted carrots, potatoes, peppers , rolls
- Ham and cheese heros , salad
- Hot dogs, corn on the cob, salad
- Tacos, refried beans
- Vegetable enchiladas
- Salmon patties, corn , salad
- Breakfast for dinner
Notes
- Brats were free from QFC, peppers were a dollar each at Winco,
- Uncurled ham was on sale at Costco, Rolls are from the Franz Outlet
- Hot dogs. Corn on cob , salad—Labor Day
- Tacos are from beef purchased at Zaycon, a taco kit from GO and homemade refried beans
- Vegetable enchiladas are from a recipe on Betty Crocker on line cookbook, Use homemade enchilada sauce.
- Salmon is from a can from Costco.
- Breakfast for dinner is a family favorite, Everyone cooks.
It’s not necessarily what you buy, but more when and where you buy it.
No food is going to do your family any good of you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.
Rule of thumb: Four plus one is five. Four. People, one meal, five bucks. *
* dinner is discussed here, less for breakfast and lunch. At four dollars a day, you can’t figure on using all four dollars for actual food eaten, because there is still basics that have to be purchased, Like olive oil, spices , etc.
Saturday, September 1, 2018
Split chicken breast.- dollars and sense.
Yes, Virginia, I know how to spell. It’s a pun LOL
I just ran on to a advertisement from Safeways. A quart of chicken stock was 3.00. I thought that was quite high. I then looked at an ad from Walmart. It was 2.79.
Let’s do some math. Boneless, skinless chicken breast are anywhere from 1.79 to 8.00 a pound.
Split chicken breast were .88 a pound for Washington grown a few weeks back at Fred Meyers,
This does take an hour or so. Hands on time, I have a theory called virtual paycheck. It basically figures how much time you spend in a scratch vs store bought item and Comoros it to the amount of money saved. Or gives you a virtual hourly wage. It’s a benchmark as to whether it would be worth your efforts to rmake the scratch food.
The difference between making the big bucks coffee shops lemon pound cake vs buying it by the slice is about 212.00 an hour.
Split Chicken breast.
Take precautions for food handling, We use a glass cutting board that can be disinfected. It helps if you have someone to help ( chicken hands and non chicken hands. The non chicken hands can be done by a school aged child, It’s things like putting quart bags in a bowl and zipping the bags when full.
Cut the rib portion off of the breast. Dump the ribs in a gallon bag or bowl that can be covered as you go. Place the breasts in quart bags and place the quart bags in a gallon bag that has been labeled and dated. How long this takes depends on how many packages you are processing,
Before you go to bed , place the rib portions in the slow cooker. Add some vegetable scraps and herbs. Fill the slow cooker to within an inch from the top. Cook on low all night.
I’m the morning, pour the contents of the slow cooker through a colander into a pot. Ladle the stock into freezer containers and leave a few minutes on the counter to cool. Then, place them in the fridge. After they have chilled , skim the fat off the top and freeze.
Meanwhile, pick the bones for meat. I am not the most proficient butcher, so I got a cup and a half of meat from the bones. This is good for chicken pot pie, chicken soup, tacos, enchiladas to name a few ideas.
To recap : you have netted boneless , skinless chicken breast. Probably about 4 to a package. Or eight for two packages.
Also.a cup and a half of chicken pieces that should make at least one more meal.
And, at least 4 quarts of chicken stock.
At .88 a pound, you usually get about 4 large breasts for about 5.00 give or take a few cents, for practical purposes, we will, say ten dollars.
4 quarts of chicken stock at 3.00 is 12.00.
8 chicken breast at a pound each at 2.00 a pound is 16.00
We will throw in the 1.5 cups of pieces.
Total is 28.00 worth of product.
You paid 10.00
Savings 18.00
That’s about 18.00 an hour or you would have to make 22.50 to spend that 18.00.
I just ran on to a advertisement from Safeways. A quart of chicken stock was 3.00. I thought that was quite high. I then looked at an ad from Walmart. It was 2.79.
Let’s do some math. Boneless, skinless chicken breast are anywhere from 1.79 to 8.00 a pound.
Split chicken breast were .88 a pound for Washington grown a few weeks back at Fred Meyers,
This does take an hour or so. Hands on time, I have a theory called virtual paycheck. It basically figures how much time you spend in a scratch vs store bought item and Comoros it to the amount of money saved. Or gives you a virtual hourly wage. It’s a benchmark as to whether it would be worth your efforts to rmake the scratch food.
The difference between making the big bucks coffee shops lemon pound cake vs buying it by the slice is about 212.00 an hour.
Split Chicken breast.
Take precautions for food handling, We use a glass cutting board that can be disinfected. It helps if you have someone to help ( chicken hands and non chicken hands. The non chicken hands can be done by a school aged child, It’s things like putting quart bags in a bowl and zipping the bags when full.
Cut the rib portion off of the breast. Dump the ribs in a gallon bag or bowl that can be covered as you go. Place the breasts in quart bags and place the quart bags in a gallon bag that has been labeled and dated. How long this takes depends on how many packages you are processing,
Before you go to bed , place the rib portions in the slow cooker. Add some vegetable scraps and herbs. Fill the slow cooker to within an inch from the top. Cook on low all night.
I’m the morning, pour the contents of the slow cooker through a colander into a pot. Ladle the stock into freezer containers and leave a few minutes on the counter to cool. Then, place them in the fridge. After they have chilled , skim the fat off the top and freeze.
Meanwhile, pick the bones for meat. I am not the most proficient butcher, so I got a cup and a half of meat from the bones. This is good for chicken pot pie, chicken soup, tacos, enchiladas to name a few ideas.
To recap : you have netted boneless , skinless chicken breast. Probably about 4 to a package. Or eight for two packages.
Also.a cup and a half of chicken pieces that should make at least one more meal.
And, at least 4 quarts of chicken stock.
At .88 a pound, you usually get about 4 large breasts for about 5.00 give or take a few cents, for practical purposes, we will, say ten dollars.
4 quarts of chicken stock at 3.00 is 12.00.
8 chicken breast at a pound each at 2.00 a pound is 16.00
We will throw in the 1.5 cups of pieces.
Total is 28.00 worth of product.
You paid 10.00
Savings 18.00
That’s about 18.00 an hour or you would have to make 22.50 to spend that 18.00.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Friday recipe : hummus
One of the ways to save a lot of money is to make your own things that are more expensive in the store ready made. One of hose things is hummus, it’s jea,thy and most of the time here is around three dollars
1 can -15.5 Oz garbanzo Beans
2 tsp garlic, chopped
Dash salt and pepper
1 slice cooked red pepper , chopped
Red pepper flakes to taste.
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil.
Mix all ingredients in food processer or blender.
Store in air tight container in refrigerator.
Notes : garbanzo beans can be inexoemsove when you find a bean sale. Lemon juice is cheapest on bottles. The rest of the ingredients are pretty much staples.
On another note, I have been watching a lot of dollar store dinners on the Internet. While I realize there are towns where the dollR store amd maybe one other store is all the stores that are available and it might be a necessity for some people until they can get to a bigger town, dollar store dinners are best for emergency meals. You can do better by stocking a little at a time. When something is super cheap. Spend the same amount you would spend if you had to pay full price. The next time, you won’t have to buy that item, so you work on so,etching else that is a stock item. You will eT better and spend less.
Tomorrow is concept day, Just a teaser.....a weeks worth of chicken dinners for FREE! Like any statement like that, there is a twist....stay tuned.
1 can -15.5 Oz garbanzo Beans
2 tsp garlic, chopped
Dash salt and pepper
1 slice cooked red pepper , chopped
Red pepper flakes to taste.
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil.
Mix all ingredients in food processer or blender.
Store in air tight container in refrigerator.
Notes : garbanzo beans can be inexoemsove when you find a bean sale. Lemon juice is cheapest on bottles. The rest of the ingredients are pretty much staples.
On another note, I have been watching a lot of dollar store dinners on the Internet. While I realize there are towns where the dollR store amd maybe one other store is all the stores that are available and it might be a necessity for some people until they can get to a bigger town, dollar store dinners are best for emergency meals. You can do better by stocking a little at a time. When something is super cheap. Spend the same amount you would spend if you had to pay full price. The next time, you won’t have to buy that item, so you work on so,etching else that is a stock item. You will eT better and spend less.
Tomorrow is concept day, Just a teaser.....a weeks worth of chicken dinners for FREE! Like any statement like that, there is a twist....stay tuned.
Thursday, August 30, 2018
Hauls 8/31
Safeway Haul.
8/24
Grapes 4.14
Frozen veggies 3.00 for three
Total 7.14
Winco Haul
18 eggs 1.89
Chocolate chips minis , bulk 3.56
Romaine 1.48
Bananas .36
Nathan’s hot dogs 2.98
3 asstd peppers @.98
Strawberries 1.78
Farmland bacon 3.98
Total 18.97
Bread store
Flax and wheat bread
Hamburger buns
Hot dog buns
Sandwich buns
Hard rolls
Bagels
English muffins
Bread sticks ,bake
10.00
Average 1.25 each
Total 36.11
Sour cream 2.00
Total. 38.11notes: that is a months worth of bread. And, the chocolate chips are pantry items as well.
The rest is perishables and a few meTs that I don’t stock.
8/24
Grapes 4.14
Frozen veggies 3.00 for three
Total 7.14
Winco Haul
18 eggs 1.89
Chocolate chips minis , bulk 3.56
Romaine 1.48
Bananas .36
Nathan’s hot dogs 2.98
3 asstd peppers @.98
Strawberries 1.78
Farmland bacon 3.98
Total 18.97
Bread store
Flax and wheat bread
Hamburger buns
Hot dog buns
Sandwich buns
Hard rolls
Bagels
English muffins
Bread sticks ,bake
10.00
Average 1.25 each
Total 36.11
Sour cream 2.00
Total. 38.11notes: that is a months worth of bread. And, the chocolate chips are pantry items as well.
The rest is perishables and a few meTs that I don’t stock.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Chain store ads
QFC
Pie 3.99
BBQ sauce 1.00
Sour cream/cottage cheese 1.00
Pork back ribs 2.99 lb prev frozen
Buy 5, save 5sale
Kind Bars 2.49
Dreyers 2.49
Dave’s killer 3.49
Outshine BAR-S 2.49
Nature valley or fiber one bars 1.99
Tillamook ice cream 3.49
Goldfish .99
Ritz 1.79
Farmland bacon 3.99
Alberways
Berries BOGO
Ritz crackers 1.69@@
Corn 4/1@@
Hillshire farm sausage 2/6
Bbq sauce .99@@
A asstd condiments and snack foods BOGO
Note : best foods squeeze bottle is BOGO. There is a Ibotta on as many as two. Makes the, net .99 for two.
Note @@ means you need an in ad coupon.
Fred Meyers
B5s5
Coffee 5.99
Outshine BARS 2.49
Dreyers 2.49
Crunch BARS 2.49
Nature valley Bars. 1.99
Goldfish .99
Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs .99
Farmland bacon 3.99
———-
Sour cream 1.00
Bbq sauce 1.00
Pie 4.00
Pie 3.99
BBQ sauce 1.00
Sour cream/cottage cheese 1.00
Pork back ribs 2.99 lb prev frozen
Buy 5, save 5sale
Kind Bars 2.49
Dreyers 2.49
Dave’s killer 3.49
Outshine BAR-S 2.49
Nature valley or fiber one bars 1.99
Tillamook ice cream 3.49
Goldfish .99
Ritz 1.79
Farmland bacon 3.99
Alberways
Berries BOGO
Ritz crackers 1.69@@
Corn 4/1@@
Hillshire farm sausage 2/6
Bbq sauce .99@@
A asstd condiments and snack foods BOGO
Note : best foods squeeze bottle is BOGO. There is a Ibotta on as many as two. Makes the, net .99 for two.
Note @@ means you need an in ad coupon.
Fred Meyers
B5s5
Coffee 5.99
Outshine BARS 2.49
Dreyers 2.49
Crunch BARS 2.49
Nature valley Bars. 1.99
Goldfish .99
Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs .99
Farmland bacon 3.99
———-
Sour cream 1.00
Bbq sauce 1.00
Pie 4.00
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
What we ate on no spend
What we ate in no spend month. The first week was not part of no spend. All of it was 4.00 a day.
- French Toast from bread store Texas toast, bacon, cantaloupe
- Hamburgers , pasta salad , fruit
- Oven roasted sausage, potatoes and carrots
- Bbq beef sandwiches, corn on the cob
- Insta pot spaghetti, salad
- Salmon, twice baked Potatoes, salad
- Out potluck, pasta salad , fruit
- BBQ beef sandwiches, oven french fries, salad
- Out potluck- veggie platter
- Nachos, fruit
- Chicken patties, corn in the cob, salad
- Egg Mc muffins, bacon, fruit tray
- Sloppy joes, corn on the cob, fruit
- Fish and chips salad, soup
- Clam chowder, leftovers
- Pork fried rice, chicken dumplings,
- Taco soup, tortilla chips, cheese
- Antipasto platter
- French Toast , ( frozen leftover) bacon cantaloupe
- Taco salad
- Pizza, salad
- Leftover pizza, salad
- Vegetable bean soup, bacon cheese bread
- Sausage with sauerkraut and peppers , bread
- Meatballs, gravy, mashed potatoes, mixed veggies
- Meatball subs, oven baked fries, strawberries,
- Chicken enchaladas, salad
- Pizza
Scratch cooking.......how did she do that...
One of the concepts that saves a lot of money is scratch cooking, Scratch— the mere sound of the word insights dread in many a person. In some cases, this was my last hold out. Especially when it came to bread. There are a lot of set it and forget it or easy scratch cooking recipes. Keeping life simple helps.
Combining prep work and quick and easy recipes makes for good meals——cheap. Many mean that you need to be home, but you don’t have to watch pots. You can be watching tv instead, or doing other things. Multi tasking is the key to keeping it up.
Let’s start with one basic thing a week, Learn that and piggy back it with the next thing and before you know it, it will take you less time than making things from a box or bag and it will be better without all the preservatives. Did you know that there is detergent and wood pulp on some of our food. Yes, it is in safe doses, but, I for one, don’t want to feed my family soap or wood pulp. YUK.
White sauce. Plain and simple. The french have a fancy word for it, but it’s basic white sauce. The basis for Mac and cheese , or many a casserole.
Scratch sauce :
1 Tbls fat (vegetable oil, melted butter
1 Tbls flour
1) melt butter or place oil in saucepan.
2) pour in flour
On medium heat, whisk flour into fat and cook just slightly to cook away the raw flour taste.
3) begin whisking in onc cup of milk, a little at a time until sauce has thickened.
Makes one cup.
White Sauce Mix
2 cups dry milk
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
Mix dry ingredients.
Add butter and cut in (using a fork and a knife or. Pastry blender, or the food processer, mix until butter is incorporated into mix.
Store 2-3 months n airtight container in refrigerator.
To make:
Use 1/2 cup mix with 1 cup water.
Add to saucepan and whisk over medium heat until a medium thick sauce.
Alternate without fat
Sauce mix
2 cups dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup low sodium chicken granules
Mix together . Store on cool, dry place
Use 1/3 cup mix to 1-1/4 cup water.
Place ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat, storing with whisk until sauce has thickened .
White sauce is also the basis for enchalada sauce. Enchalada sauce is really expensive considering the few ingredients it takes,
Enchalada sauce,
Over low heat on a 1 quart saucepan,
Make a roux with 1/4 cup canola oil and 2T flour
Cook slighky to take the flour taste away,
Add slowly , 1 cup chicken broth and 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce,
Add in 2 T taco seasoning
Cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens slightly.
Homemade taco seasoning saves a lot of money.
Combining prep work and quick and easy recipes makes for good meals——cheap. Many mean that you need to be home, but you don’t have to watch pots. You can be watching tv instead, or doing other things. Multi tasking is the key to keeping it up.
Let’s start with one basic thing a week, Learn that and piggy back it with the next thing and before you know it, it will take you less time than making things from a box or bag and it will be better without all the preservatives. Did you know that there is detergent and wood pulp on some of our food. Yes, it is in safe doses, but, I for one, don’t want to feed my family soap or wood pulp. YUK.
White sauce. Plain and simple. The french have a fancy word for it, but it’s basic white sauce. The basis for Mac and cheese , or many a casserole.
Scratch sauce :
1 Tbls fat (vegetable oil, melted butter
1 Tbls flour
1) melt butter or place oil in saucepan.
2) pour in flour
On medium heat, whisk flour into fat and cook just slightly to cook away the raw flour taste.
3) begin whisking in onc cup of milk, a little at a time until sauce has thickened.
Makes one cup.
White Sauce Mix
2 cups dry milk
1 cup flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup butter
Mix dry ingredients.
Add butter and cut in (using a fork and a knife or. Pastry blender, or the food processer, mix until butter is incorporated into mix.
Store 2-3 months n airtight container in refrigerator.
To make:
Use 1/2 cup mix with 1 cup water.
Add to saucepan and whisk over medium heat until a medium thick sauce.
Alternate without fat
Sauce mix
2 cups dry milk
3/4 cup cornstarch
1/4 cup low sodium chicken granules
Mix together . Store on cool, dry place
Use 1/3 cup mix to 1-1/4 cup water.
Place ingredients in saucepan and cook over medium heat, storing with whisk until sauce has thickened .
White sauce is also the basis for enchalada sauce. Enchalada sauce is really expensive considering the few ingredients it takes,
Enchalada sauce,
Over low heat on a 1 quart saucepan,
Make a roux with 1/4 cup canola oil and 2T flour
Cook slighky to take the flour taste away,
Add slowly , 1 cup chicken broth and 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce,
Add in 2 T taco seasoning
Cook, stirring constantly until sauce thickens slightly.
Homemade taco seasoning saves a lot of money.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Kitchen Management aka meal prep
Kitchen management is a tool that saves time and stress at meal time, Basics you spend a little to,e prepping the meals based on a meal plan. Having food prepped somthat it takes ten to twenty minutes to cook dinner makes life a whole lot easier and tends to keep you from being tempted to order in or go out.
Reminder of meals
Reminder of meals
- Chicken enchiladas, lettuce and tomatoes
- Pizza
- Chili, tortilla chips,sour cream, cheese
- Spaghetti , salad, bread sticks
- Chicken pot pie , fruit
- Chili dogs , vegetable plate
- Breakfast for dinner
- Wash kitchen floor.
- Clean out the refrigerator and dump anything dead.
- Make note of things that need to be used up , incorporate them into meal plan
- Clean and disinfect countertops and sinks and drains.
- Cook chicken for the enchiladas in the insta pot.
- Make enchilada sauce.
- Was salad greens, carrots.
- Make a batch of muffins - new bread book.
- Inventory if not already taken. My inventory is on my meal plan form.
I will share my meal plan form with anyone that wants it. If it has to be sent as a file. It will have to wait until my IT person can help me. Hey, I’m old. Lol 😂
Sunday, August 26, 2018
Book Review
Betty Crocker big book of bread .. all kinds of bread from scones to french bread and everything on between. Some quick, so,e not so quick. All look delicious,
Artisan semolina and rosemary bread
Mini cheese and chive popovers
Mini sweet potato cinnamon rolls
Maple glazed bacon drop doughnuts
Sour cream coffee cake
Zesty cheddar bread
Ginger carrot nut bread
Gluten free cheese garlic biscuits
Pear nut scones
Chocolate scones
Beer and Chile cornbread muffins
Raspberry white chocolate muffins
Cinnamon bubble loaf
Double quick dinner rolls
Haul 8/24
Fred Meyers
Grapes 1.94
Goldfish .99
Goldfish .99
Goldfish .99
Nectarines 2.69
Ice cream 3.49
Ice cream 3.49
Sour cream 1.25
Milk .99
Total 16.82
Pretty much produce and dairy. The goldfish were basically free except for one at .99. B5; S5
Note : the process inquited last week for safeways were from the Internet. I don’t know what happened. But the ad in the store does not reflect those prices . No cantaloupe or soup, green peppers are a dollar.
Grapes 1.94
Goldfish .99
Goldfish .99
Goldfish .99
Nectarines 2.69
Ice cream 3.49
Ice cream 3.49
Sour cream 1.25
Milk .99
Total 16.82
Pretty much produce and dairy. The goldfish were basically free except for one at .99. B5; S5
Note : the process inquited last week for safeways were from the Internet. I don’t know what happened. But the ad in the store does not reflect those prices . No cantaloupe or soup, green peppers are a dollar.
Meal plans
Meal plans are a tool to make life easier and save time and money,
- Chicken enchaladas , lettuce, tomatoes
- Pizza
- Chilli , topped with choice of cheese, sour cream and/or tortilla chips.
- Spaghetti, salad , bread sticks
- Chicken pot pie, fruit
- Chilli dogs, veggie platter
- Quiche, fruit
Notes
- Chicken enchaladas are from frozen .99 a lb chicken , to,atoes from the plant on the deck
- Pizza is a cheap dinner at a dollar a pizza. Obviously, scratch
- Chilli does double duty with chilli dogs another day,
- Spaghetti I’m the insta pot. Eight minutes bread sticks are from a batch a month ago at the surplus bread store, I froze them.
- Chicken pot pie from frozen chicken .
- Quiche is easy and quick as well as inexpensive.
Saturday, August 25, 2018
Concept Saturday / Dollar Tree food,
Yes, you can get good food at the DT. You can also get nasty food at the DT....just saying...
There are a few things, mostly name brand things .
Some of the things, namely garlic and some frozen foods come from China. Buy at your own comfort level.
The best things are taco shells, tortillas. Pizza sauce, suddenly salad, Betty Crocker products, ;we have got hunts tomatoes, organic, named brand enchilada sauce for a dime. Hunts pasta sauce, Barilla pasta. Named brand frozen potatoes.
Sometimes they get overstocks or things that were in a test market and didn’t fly,
Buyer beware, but anything that is not going to be a long term item in your house, is probably a good buy. Napkins, kids work books, balloons, party decorations and present bags.
A great tip, if you are a Costco toilet paper shopper, buy one pack of dollar store toilet paper. Put it in the very back of the closet. You will never be stuck if someone forgets to tell that you are running low. Don’t need to say more.
You still have to know your prices . Some things are cheaper at other stores. Sometimes the quality isn't up to high standards.
Pounder glasses are good as well as some glass wine glasses.
They do take coupons, no more than four in a day per household and some managers don’t have a sense of humor, Like Edmonds for instance. Kenmore, on the other hand.....
Please feel free to comment on what you do like to buy at the DT.
There are a few things, mostly name brand things .
Some of the things, namely garlic and some frozen foods come from China. Buy at your own comfort level.
The best things are taco shells, tortillas. Pizza sauce, suddenly salad, Betty Crocker products, ;we have got hunts tomatoes, organic, named brand enchilada sauce for a dime. Hunts pasta sauce, Barilla pasta. Named brand frozen potatoes.
Sometimes they get overstocks or things that were in a test market and didn’t fly,
Buyer beware, but anything that is not going to be a long term item in your house, is probably a good buy. Napkins, kids work books, balloons, party decorations and present bags.
A great tip, if you are a Costco toilet paper shopper, buy one pack of dollar store toilet paper. Put it in the very back of the closet. You will never be stuck if someone forgets to tell that you are running low. Don’t need to say more.
You still have to know your prices . Some things are cheaper at other stores. Sometimes the quality isn't up to high standards.
Pounder glasses are good as well as some glass wine glasses.
They do take coupons, no more than four in a day per household and some managers don’t have a sense of humor, Like Edmonds for instance. Kenmore, on the other hand.....
Please feel free to comment on what you do like to buy at the DT.
Friday, August 24, 2018
Friday recipe
Years ago, my youngest son’s kindergarten teacher lived across the street. She was a kind soul. She always had took in children that needed a home even long past the time when her birth children were adults. Her son had a job that managed sports stars. A very large African-American man was visiting for a few days, He was a basket ball star named Kenny. Kenny was shooting hoops using the community street basket ball hoop. My son was two and a half, Now, he was the direct opposite of Kenny in stature and colour. He was as white as he could be with stark blond hair. He came out with a basketball that was bigger than him yelling “ baketball, baketball”. Kenny picked him up and let him slam dunk the ball. The grin on both their faces was priceless. I wish I would have had a cell phone with a camera. Lol 😂
I digress. This same neighbor had an expression. She made Guesseroles. That was when she cooked pasta and added anything she had in the fridge or cupboard to make a meal.
So, Mrs Boot, this one is for you,
Mexican Casserole
4 ounces macaroni
1/2 pound of cooked ground meat
1 -15.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, not drained
1 tsp of tomato boullion, or 2 ounces of tomato paste.
2 cups cooked kidney beans -or 1 can , rinsed and drained.
1/2 can diced green chillies , drained
2 tsp taco seasoning
4 ounces (1cup) Mexican blend cheese
I digress. This same neighbor had an expression. She made Guesseroles. That was when she cooked pasta and added anything she had in the fridge or cupboard to make a meal.
So, Mrs Boot, this one is for you,
Mexican Casserole
4 ounces macaroni
1/2 pound of cooked ground meat
1 -15.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, not drained
1 tsp of tomato boullion, or 2 ounces of tomato paste.
2 cups cooked kidney beans -or 1 can , rinsed and drained.
1/2 can diced green chillies , drained
2 tsp taco seasoning
4 ounces (1cup) Mexican blend cheese
- Cook macaroni and drain.
- Combine all the remaining ingredients EXCEPT the cheese in a saucepan. Cook for about ten minutes on low while the pasta cooks.
- Combine the drained pasta and the “sauce”.
- Place in a baking dish , top with cheese
- Bake at 375 for 30 minutes
Total cost when buying your ingredients at RBP is 3.09.
These are all staple ingredients in a well stocked basic kitchen. The prices are my rock bottom prices in Seattle. Seattle is among the top 7 cost of food cities in the USA.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
FM haul 8/17
Haul for week of 8/17
Raspberries 3.99
Strawberries 3.99
2 lbs bacon 5.29
Brats 2.50
Kroger yogurt, markdown .19
Peanut butter 1.39
English muffins 1.67
Total 19.21
Safeways
Cantaloupe 2.00
2 doz eggs .99 ea
3.99 total
23.20 total
Bonus Grocery Outlet
Ripe olives .69
Tomatoes .99
Bacon 1.99
Biscuits .50
Salame 2.79
Total 12.13
Total 35.33
Raspberries 3.99
Strawberries 3.99
2 lbs bacon 5.29
Brats 2.50
Kroger yogurt, markdown .19
Peanut butter 1.39
English muffins 1.67
Total 19.21
Safeways
Cantaloupe 2.00
2 doz eggs .99 ea
3.99 total
23.20 total
Bonus Grocery Outlet
Ripe olives .69
Tomatoes .99
Bacon 1.99
Biscuits .50
Salame 2.79
Total 12.13
Total 35.33
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
How did she do that? Really fast taco soup
It is always a good thing to have a recipe or two that you can make in minutes and tastes good. We have all had days when time gets away from you.
It starts with the prep idea of frying bulk ground meat when you bring it home from the store or shortly after. Fry the meat, de fat it of you need to and place it on quart bags portion controlled for you family. We bag the amount we need for tacos. You can always pull multiple bags from the gallon bag you freeze them on . Label the gallon bag, this double bags your meat and you only have to label one bag.
Taco soup - it really takes five non passive minutes.
- Take a half a pound of cooked ground beef out of the freezer and defrost it in the microwave about 1.5 minutes or just bat it on the counter until it’s broken up. Place it on the slow cooker. I use the insta pot,
- Add the following :
- 1 - can of diced tomatoes , not drained
- 1 can of beans of choice -black, P.I. to, or kidney , drained and rinsed,
- 1 can or equivalent frozen of corn
- 4 cups of beef or vegetable stock. I just make the stock in the cans, it rinses the cans and makes less dishes,
- 1T taco seasoning (homemade)
Turn the slow cooker or Insta pot on lsowmcooker mode and let it cook until you are ready to eat.
Technically everything you put in the pot is abkento be eaten straight from the can. You just want the flavors to combine and it to get hot.
Chain store ads
note: these were gleamed from the internet. Despite there not being a holiday, the main man did not bring the ads. The Safeway ad was also not on the Internet. Note: today I have also posted some WNTB and why. WNTB is what not to buy, A description of what to watch for and buy instead to save lots on your bottom line,
Fred Meyers
WNTB —FF chicken breast 1.99. Last week FF split chicken breast was .88. A little time saves you more than 1/2amd you get the added bonus of chicken stock thatmcost upwards of two dollars a quart.
The following are all .99
Grapes
Peaches
Milk
Pears
Sour cream 16 ounces 1.25
Kroger breakfast sausage 2/5
2 lbs strawberries 3.99
Ground Turkey 2.99
WNTB - Binkess Pork Loin chops 3.99–it wasn’t that long ago that we got pork loin for .99. You can almost always get them for up to 1.69. Again, buying them for even the 1.69 is half the price and it takes minutes to slice a pork chop off of a loin.
QFC
Milk .99
Buy5: save 5
Goldfish .99
Tillamook ice cream2.99
WNTB - 4 blueberry muffins 3.49–it cost about a buck to make a dozen muffins, Make a muffin mix up and it takes a matter of a few minutes to whip up a dozen muffins, The savings are remarkable amdyou know what is in them.
Alberways
Cantaloupe.99
Friday only -cream soups 1.00
Peppers 1.00
Corn 3/1
Hebrew national franks 2/7
WNTB-milk is 1.00 at both Kroger stores.
Garlic bread is 3.49/ it cost .30. See the “big family homestead “on u tube
Fred Meyers
WNTB —FF chicken breast 1.99. Last week FF split chicken breast was .88. A little time saves you more than 1/2amd you get the added bonus of chicken stock thatmcost upwards of two dollars a quart.
The following are all .99
Grapes
Peaches
Milk
Pears
Sour cream 16 ounces 1.25
Kroger breakfast sausage 2/5
2 lbs strawberries 3.99
Ground Turkey 2.99
WNTB - Binkess Pork Loin chops 3.99–it wasn’t that long ago that we got pork loin for .99. You can almost always get them for up to 1.69. Again, buying them for even the 1.69 is half the price and it takes minutes to slice a pork chop off of a loin.
QFC
Milk .99
Buy5: save 5
Goldfish .99
Tillamook ice cream2.99
WNTB - 4 blueberry muffins 3.49–it cost about a buck to make a dozen muffins, Make a muffin mix up and it takes a matter of a few minutes to whip up a dozen muffins, The savings are remarkable amdyou know what is in them.
Alberways
Cantaloupe.99
Friday only -cream soups 1.00
Peppers 1.00
Corn 3/1
Hebrew national franks 2/7
WNTB-milk is 1.00 at both Kroger stores.
Garlic bread is 3.49/ it cost .30. See the “big family homestead “on u tube
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