Thursday Notes

Another episode of This NOT That

Butter instead of Fake Butter.
The real thing is just better.  My nutritionalist said a skim of butter is better than the fake stuff.  Fake butter often is laced with hydroginated oil.   Almost all oils with the exception of canola (GMO) and olive oil are bad for you.   Hydroginated oil, so they say, thickens your blood.   You are better off, in my opinion with the real thing in moderation.  Moderation is key.  

Roma tomatoes are better than regular tomatoes.
This is just because they have more “meat” and less seeds.   Again, no food can do your family any good if you are feeding it to the garbage disposal.  

Real maple syrup, parmesean cheese, vanilla...is better than fake.
It just tastes better.   Moderation on the syrup is key.   Parmesean cheese in the green can is laced with wood pulp and it is old.   If parmesean is more expensive than Romano or other hard cheeses, use he other cheeses.   It works the same .  

Nut pieces , not whole pieces.
Winco (or Bulk Food isles ) has broken pieces in the bulk section.   If you are using it for breading or in a recipe, why pay for whole nuts when you are going to cut them up anyway.  Thisnisoe time wen something already done is cheaper.

Insta pot chicken or slow cooker chicken , not rotisserie chicken .
Rotisserie chicken is really , really expensive.   Cooking a whole chicken (.88 a lb ) is twice as expensive as one made in the slow cooker.   That crispy skin is not good for you anyway.  Why ay for it to be pulled off.  Both slow cooker and insta pot chicken take no longer than making the special trip to the store. Ten minutes tops and you are saving 1/2 or more if you buy a 5 pound chicken.   Three pound chickens are the most expensive chicken .   Hands down. And the chicken that is 2 lbs is just a joke.  

Homemade coating mix and bread crumbs , not boxed.  
Why pay 2.40 a pound for someone elses dry bread.   If our 6yo can make breadcrumbs in a snap,  you can too.   Another , it takes minutes and saves a bundle idea.   If I pay 2.44 a pound for hamburger, why would I pay 2.40 for someone elses garbage.   There is more food value in the hamburger.  

Coupons are a waste of time vs use coupons when they make sense.   Don’t take hours clipping every coupon in ten newspapers.  Do print coupons once a month and only print the ones for wha you are likely to use.   Save a batch of inserts from 1 newspaper you buy for a dollar at the DT and match it up with a sale.   Less than a half hour can save you up to 50.00 a month.   That’s 100.00 an hour virtual pay check.  

Homemade quick breads , not bakery breads.  
The operative word here is quick.   It takes a matter of minutes to throw a quick bread into the oven.   The savings are remarkable and you control the sugar.  

Frozen vs fresh blueberries.  
There are times in the year when frozen blueberries are a lot cheaper than fresh.  If you are makin blueberry bread or muffins or smoothies, frozen is better most of the time.   Winco has 2 lb bags for less than 2.00 a pound.   That’s almost the equivalent of three 6 ounce boxes.