The proof is in the pictures

My daughter and I decided to do an experiment. She volunteered to make the cheeseburger Mac from the box and I made cheeseburger Mac from scratch. We both took 27 minutes. We both used already cooked meat.

My recipe cost 1.75 excluding the meat. It made 9- one cup servings for a cost per 5 servings of .97. It contained vegetables, tomatoes, tomato paste, macaroni, and a cup of real cheese and spices. I added a salad and a piece of crusty bread for a total cost of 2.47 plus the cost of the meat.  ( 4.72 for the meal)


Her box cost 2.33 excluding the meat. It made 5 servings for a cost of 2.33. It contained macaroni, 2cups of milk, and 1.57 ounces of a sauce mix that contained cornstarch,salt, flour,sugar, Cheese whey, lactic acid,salt. Tomato, msg,flavor, citric acid, hydrogenated soy oil, modified corn starch, paprika, spice, colors, ,monoglycerides, cheddar cheese (milk,cheese cultures, salt enzymes)
cheese, buttermilk, cheese , milk, cheese cultures, salt,silicon dioxide, sodium phosphate and modified cheddar cheese. They have to list the ingredients in the order of volume. The first ingredient on the list is cornstarch, the last ones are cheese cultures, salt and enzymes and words I cannot pronounce. 1.57 ounces is translated to two tablespoons. 

The top dish is the box mix.; the bottom is the scratch recipe. 

You be the judge. 

Muffins..the quick breakfast food

I thought that I would talk about muffins. Buying muffins could get really expensive. At THE COFFEE shop, they are really pricey, and even at Costco, they are not cheap, and full of calories. Muffins are really easy to make. If you are short on time you can put the same batter in a loaf pan and save on cleanup . There are silicone liners that save on paper cup liners;and as a added bonus, you can sneak veggies into an picky eater. Lol

Taste of Home's ultimate freezer cookbook has two recipes for muffims that are really either inexpensive or full of good ingredients. Monkey muffins ( what a fun name for kids) have ripe bananas and peanut butter and morning muffins have carrots.coffee nit muffins could be adapted to be really cheap too without loosing flavor. (Costco has it on their magazine rack for 30 per cent off)

You can vary any basic muffin recipe or Bisquick base by adding ingredients. Change orange juice for coffee or another juice that sounds good to you. Add or subtract nuts. Replace blueberries with chopped apple.

Cheddar muffins

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1cup buttermilk or substitute
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1T honey or substitute
4oz shredded cheddar cheese or substitute other cheese.

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. To avoid tough muffins, don't over mix. The dough can be lumpy, but there should be no dry spots.

Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake at 400 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. Top of muffin will spring back when touched.

Raspberry muffins

2 cups bisquit mix
2 T sugar
1/4 cup butter, cold
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup raspberry jam ( you could substitute any other jam too. )

Confectioners sugar glaze if desired.

Combine bisquit mis and sugar. Cut in butter. Add milk and stir until combined. Spoon about a tablespoon into each muffin cup. Top with a tsp jam. Spoon another tablespoon of batter over jam. Bake at 425 degrees 12-14 minutes. Glaze if desired.

Rhubarb oatmeal muffins

1cup flour
3/4 cup oatmeal
1/2cup brown sugar
2tsp baking powder
1/2tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt

1egg
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup of orange juice
1tsp orange peel
1cup diced rhubarb. ( you can use frozen)

TOPPING
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup brn sugar
2T chopped nuts
2T butter
1/8 tsp cinnamon

Combine dry and wet ingredients in separate bowls. Combine wet ingredients into dry ingredients until mixed without dry spots. Don't over mix. Put batter in muffin
Cups 2/3 full. Combine topping ingredients, sprinkle on top of batter in the cups.
Bake at 350 18-20 minutes until done.

Any muffin basic dough can have a variety of ingredients added. Nuts, dried fruit( cranberries, raisins, cherries etc).

Muffins can be frozen and quickly thawed. Or keep in a plastic container for a few days.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

the substitute for buttermilk is 1 T vinegar or lemon juice plus enough milk to equal one cup. 
Let stand 5 minutes before using. 

The substitute for honey is (for 1 cup) use  1 1/4 cups granulated sugar with 1 cup of any liquid called for in the recipe.  If recipe calls for a tablespoon, use I tablespoon of product.  1Tablespoon honey equals 1 1/4 tablespoon sugar with 1T Milk. 

Italian dishes..on the cheap

Italian food and Tex Mex are foods that have always been kind to the Budget.
We all remember the spaghetti dinners for a croud. Church dinners or family ones. Italian has come into it's own with a lot more sophisticated dishes that are still budget pleasers. Often times,dishes that maybe a little pricy can be adapted to be within your guidelines for a budget meal and still not Change the flavor of the dish.

Pasta Carbonara

2.5 cups penne

4 bacon strips, diced
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced

1/2cup sour cream, 1/4 cup 2%milk
1/3 cup butter
Parsley
Garlic
Hot pepper sauce
Salt
Parm
Green onions

Cook pasta until done. in skillet, cook bacon remove from pan.Drain the pan, reserving some fat. Cook mushrooms and remove from pan. Add sour cream, milk, butter, parsley, garlic, hot pepper sauce and salt.
Stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Stir in bacon, mushrooms ,and cheese.
Toss pasta in sauce. Top with grated parm and parsley.

Note: you can use low fat sour cream and less butter. there are 13 grams per serving without the butter , using regular sour cream and bacon. You could use low fat sour cream, turkey bacon and omit the butter or use a substitute. It just wouldn't be as rich.


Balsamic chicken breasts


1/4 cup flour
Salt, pepper
4 chicken breast halves - 4 ounces EA ( chicken breasts sometimes are 1 a pound at Safeways. It's not hard to debone them. Run your sharp knife right next to the bone, pulling the meat away from the bone as you go. )

1T oil
1 small onion, sliced (rings)
1/4 cup water
2T balsamic vinegar (dollar store)

1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1/8 tsp dried rosemary.

In large plastic bag, place flour, salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken breast.
Place on rack to rest.

In large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken on both sides until juices run clear. Remove and keep warm.

in the pan, cook onion until soft. Add water and deglaze he pan.
Add vinegar, and spices. Simmer a couple of minutes until sauce is slightly thickened. Pour over chicken.


Italian sausage and vegetables. ( good for garden season)

1 pound sausage. ( tubular like johnsville etc )
1can diced tomatoes, undrained.
6 medium red potatoes, cut in half
4 small zucchini, cut into one inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into wedges
Garlic powder
Crushed red pepper flakes
Oregano
Basil
1T dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup grated pepper jack cheese

Place already cooked sausage In Slow cooker. Add veggies and seasonings. Cover and cook on low 6 hours or until veggies are done. Remove sausage and cut into 1 inch pieces. Return to slow cooker and add bread crumbs. Stir. Serve on bowls with grated cheese.

Note: sausage was 42 ounces for 5 bucks at Safeways bucks this week- Friday only special. Safeways always has five dollar specials on Fridays. Usually a bakery treat, and some kind of a dinner item.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Disecting Cheeseburger macaroni mix

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 powder. The ingredients have to be listed in order of volume. Cheese is the last on the list. There is more cornstarch than cheese powder 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 powder.

You still have to add the hamburger. And milk.

Scratch hamburger macaroni is cheaper, more nutritious and doesn't take much more time.
You open two packages instead of one to make the same version.



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 (2 oz) 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 six.

Thanks for stopping by,
Jane

And you buy your groceries...WHERE?

You would be surprised how many stores carry food . Some are cheaper and some have a limited amount. The Dollar Tree stores have a couple of isles of food. Some of it is off brands and I usually steer clear of off brands. Some of the items are more money than what you can get them on sale for at the regular supermarket.

My daughter goes there for school supplies. She picked up a box of " Larry the cable guy"'s beer bread for a joke for her father. I fixed it , not wanting to waste money. It is actually good. It is kind of like cornbread, but with a finer texture and different taste. I understand from someone, that the cornbread is not as good. 

Salami and pepperoni is a dollar a package instead of the 3.50 a package that it is in the store. It's a name brand and has a far out pull date. I always check pull dates on food.

As a side note, I always get facial tissue and other cleaning products and paper products there because they are cheaper. What I don't get there I get in bulk at Costco. Almost always, soap etc is more expensive at the grocery store than getting it at the dollar store or at one of the department stores ( like k mart or wall mart.) I don't count these items in my grocery budget, and try to keep them to a minimum.

BARTTELS sometimes has good buys on a select group of food items.

Basically I am saying keep your eye open everywhere you go and don't pass up a bargain just because it is in an unusual place. Stick to name brands that you have tried before.

I would draw the line at the side of the road! Lol.


Someone asked me why I do this blog. I don't get any money for doing this blog.

I learned how to shop from my mother. During the Nixon era, when we had double digit inflation, I was a single mother, we had double-digit inflation, I didn't get a raise in three years , and seldom got child support. Something had to give with my budget and since I had the cheapest car I could find and had already turned off the heat in some rooms, there wasn't much else I could economize on. Unfortunately, a lot of middle class people were in the same boat. I read everything I could get my hands on about saving money on groceries. After the crisis was over , it was a habit and became a game that freed up some resources for other things.

To make a long story short, I am doing this in the hopes that I can help just one person that is in the dire straights that I was in to get through a hard time. 

The single mom that doesn't want to take a second job to make ends meet and would rather be doing something with her kids.

The senior that has little left after paying medications reaching the donut hole.

The family that is trying to save for a condo.

The family that can't quite afford the orthodontic bill or college Fund for their kids.

The family whos breadwinner is laid off.

I am sure there are more situations, but you get the point.


Whether it is a game, you enjoy the recipes or the time savings, or you really need it, I hope that you enjoy the blog.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

Meals from this weeks grocery ads.

First a little heads up. My Safeways " Just for You " just arrived in my e mail box. Cheese is 3.91 for 2 pounds. If I am getting a lot in the drawer, I try to get a white cheese if it is available.


Meals 2 chicken or pork, two beef, 2 vegetarian, 1fish . If I use this as a guideline, it is easier to think of what to cook.

1) Mac and cheese, broccoli.
2) Quiche with ham and cheese, mixed green AMD blueberry salad
3) chicken legs and thighs, corn on cab, vegetable salad
4) Roast chicken, mashed potatoes , tomato and zucchini stir fry.
5) BBQ pork sandwiches (Pork loin sliced thin heated in BBQ sauce on hamburger buns.
6) Pasta Puttanesca, salad *
7) Meatball subs, roasted red potatoes, vegetable sticks**

My time is up, thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment so I know what you might want to see.

Jane


*Www.doctoroz.com/media/print/12153
** cut red or new potatoes in half or quarters to make them about the same size.
On a foil lined baking pan with sides, toss with olive oil and steak seasoning OR
Thyme. Roast at 400 degrees until done. About 15 minutes or more depending on
your oven and the size of the potatoes.

Wednesday: this weeks ads and Chocolate Decadence.

First:  This weeks ads

Albertsons
grapes 1.99
strawberrues 4 lbs/ 7.99
Blueberries 1.99
Chicken breasts .99
Corn 2/ 1.00

QFC
Blueberries 2# 4.99
Milk 1.00 1/2 gallon  ( 2.00)
Green beans .99
zuchinni  .99
Pork Shoulder Roast 1.49
corn 2/ .88

Safeways

Pork Loin 1.79
Strawberries 1.99
Plums .99
Raspberries 1/2 flat 11.99
$5.00 FRIDAY
32 oz grated cheese 5.
2# blues 5.00
cake 5.00

TOP

London Broil 3.00
corn 3/1.00 Coupon
Butter 1.88 Coupon
radish .50
grapes 1.98
Brocolli 1.00

remember to cross off anything that you dont like or need; and cross off anything that is less expensive somewhere else.  Get down to the two cheapest stores. 

I might have to go to three of them.  I want the milk, the veggies and the pork loin., 
This works for me because I have to go to QFC area for other things and it is on the way to Safeways.  Top is on the way home. 

Now for Chocolate Decadence.  This is not what I would call inexpensive desert.  It is a good one for a progressive dinner it cooks in the crock pot and is warm.  Just right for ice cream a top. 

1 package chocolate cake mix
1 8 oz carton sour cream
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup water
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 package (4 serving size INSTANT pudding and pie filling mix.

Coat 4.51 quart crock pot with cooking spray.  Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix well.
Transfer to crock pot.  , Cover and cook on low 3-4 hours or on High 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours. 
Serve hot or warm with ice cream.  Makes 12 servings. 

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Please pass this blog to a friend.  Let me know if you want to hear about something else food shopping related.   Leave a comment or E mail. 

Cook once- Eat for a month and other recipes.

First, let's recap the basics. The typical family of four (two school age children and two middle aged parents) would spend $132.70 per week according to USDA 2009 stats for the thrifty plan.

I actually have three adults in our household and a child. We actually spend about $ 65.00 on food. I have been spending $75 , but we have developed too large of a stock and I will be reducing my grocery bill until we go back to a more realistic stock.
$128.80 ( 2009 stats) . That's about 1/2.

The basic plan to achieve this is three fold. Plan and organize, shop wisely, and cook from scratch.

1) Plan your meals
2) Stock your non perishables at the lowest prices.
3) Only buy real food-- not convenience food .
4) cook from scratch.

I went to a class years ago on cookimg for a day and freezing your meals so that you have meals for a month. A regular freezer in your fridge will hold dinners for a month for a family of four. You package most everythimg in gallon bags and lay them flat.
Personally, I don't like this concept because I don't have the stamina to cook for eight hours. It is more efficient, but probably best done with a buddy. I call it, marathon cooking.

The new TASTE OF HOME cookbook (The ultimate freezer Cookbook) ( Costco for 7.00)
On the magazine rack, talks about it too.

I, however, do batch cook. If I grind or buy a lot of hamburger, I will make meatballs or a meatloaf, taco meat, and some just plain hamburger.
Chicken can be roasted off and the remainder of a roast chicken meal can become chicken cubes or pieces for pizza, casseroles, or chicken pot pie and soup stock. I buy sausage in quanity at Costco and fry it all, bag it into 1/2 lb bags and use it for pizza, egg dishes, soup.

Roast beef can be a roast one night and thinly sliced and frozen for roast beef a jus sandwiches other nights.

When I want a really quick meal, I run cold water over the food saver bag of meat while I make some a jus in a small frypan on the stove. When the meat is thawed enough to separate it, I turn off the a jus and let the meat " heat" while I make a green salad and toast hard buns.

Pork loin becomes pork chops, pork cubes, pork roast and BBQ pork sandwiches.

All of these meats come in at around $2.00 a pound average.


Next time, chocolate decadence... A real treat.

Thanks for stopping by, tell a friend you think might benefit, and let me know what you might want to see here.


Jane

Breakfast from scratch

Breakfast is usually coming in cheaper than dinner costwise. We have breakfast for dinner at least once every two weeks. I do usually make it Sunday breakfast fare.

New cookbook on the magazine shelves is taste of home "Ultimate Freezer Cookbook". It is 30% off at Costco. I don't think you have to have a freezer to benefit from this book.

Freezer waffles are a lot cheaper than ready made. You can cook when you have time to make it less hectic when you don't have time. Also a recipe for homemade sausage. It uses pork butt. Unless you can get pork butt for a buck a pound, it is not worth it. Unless maybe you can control the fat better.

Avoid freezing milk based casseroles, potatoes, raw produce, and cooked pasta. I do freeze red and green peppers without a problem.

Breakfasts for dinner.

1) quiche, mixed greens salad with fruit and a raspberry or balsamic vinagrette

2) apple spiced waffles, sausage links. Fruit.

3) andouille egg burritos.

4) bacon, eggs, hash browns, toast ( hash browns from scratch are a pain. I either use
Hash brown patties that ivget at Safeways or I get dehydrated ones at business Costco.


Regular breakfast we use muffins, banana- blueberry bread, oatmeal with fruit,
You would be surprised what fruit and veggies you can hide in muffins.
We don't buy cold cereal. Maybe anboccasional cherrio. Sugar coated cereal is one of the most expensive way to bust your budget, and not to healthy either.

Thanks for stopping by...

Jane
please leave a comment and let me know what you want me to talk about.

Meals from grocery ads

Basically a bargain isn't a bargain unless you eat it. I have been buying a lot of fruit lately because it is in season. We eat a lot of fruit for snacks and desert.

Making a meal plan helps ensure that you use up what you bought, nothing gets away from you, and you don't have to think about what to cook when you are tired. Just seven main dishes works. They don't have to be tied to a particular day of the week. I do plan a meal for a specific day if I know we are having company or we need to get our of the house before our regular mealtime.

Here goes based on this weeks specials.

1) roast chicken, leafy green salad with strawberries, mashed potatoes.

2) French toast, strawberries and blueberries, whip cream, bacon

3) shrimp stir fry with red pepper, carrots, and celery. Rice

4) chicken chimichangas with lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa.

5) BBQ pork sandwiches, sweet potato fries, carrot and celery sticks.

6) macaroni and cheese, glazed carrots, strawberry shortcake

7) spaghetti and meatballs, lettuce salad, French bread.

Most of these are 4 plus1 is 5.

Happy eating.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

Tex Mex using the leftover mashed potatoes from stuffed potato akins

POTATO TOPPED CHIKI LOAF

1 egg
3Y milk
Chopped onion
1 can chopped chilie
10 saltiness crackers, crushed
4.5 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
3cups hot mashed potatoes
1 can mexicorn, drained
Green onions
1/2to 1cup grated cheese

Combine first 7 ingredients in a bowl. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well.Pat into a greased 9x9 pan. Bake at 375 for 30 min, or until meat is no longer pink or has internal temp of 160 degrees.
Combine potatoes,corn and onions. Spread over meat.
Sprinkle with cheese and broil 6 in from heat 3-5 min until lightly browned.

Notes:
I would use bread crumbs ( virtually free) instead of crackers.I would use less chilies.use leftover potatoes and add enough warm to make the three cups.
I would omit the onions and corn from the topping. Sprinkle regular corn and some chopped peppers to the top of the meat and then top with potatoes. Sprinkle green onions over the top of the finished product. Or use dried parsley instead.

Tex Mex recipes on the cheap.

Flour tortillias are cheapest at Costco. They are also cheap at grocery outlet and they carry smaller omes. WinCo had corn taco shells for a buck. Beans are .50 cents a can at TOP sometimes and often they are .67. Beans from scratch are about .50 to cook the same amou t. Cooked beans have a very small fridge life. If you have enough time to cook beans and use them in the same day, it works ; but using canned is more efficient. I got Tillimook cheese for 2.50 a pound at Albertsons. Safeways had their brand for 2.50 as well. Tex Mex can be healthy if you watch the cheese quanity and fry
Things with olive oil. Olive oil boosts your good cholesterol.

TACO SOUP

2 pounds ground beef
1 medium onion chopped
2 cans tomato sauce
1can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1can diced tomatoes
1 can corn, undrained

Shredded cheese
Tortilla

Brown the meat and cook onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink.
Add the cans of food.
Bring to boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Garnish with cheese and tortilla chips.
Makes 2.5 quarts, 10 servings



I would use 1/2 the ground beef and add another can of beans. You van cut flour tortillas into wedges and fry them yourself. Tortilla chips are often on sale.


Taco potato shells
3 large potatoes
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 pound ground beef
1 can ( 14-1/2 oz) diced tomatoes undrained
1 envelope taco seasoning equals 7tsp homemade.
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup sour cream
2 green onions sliced

Scrub and pierce three potatoes. Bake at 375 degrees for an hour or until tender.
When cool enough to handle,cut in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop out pulp,leaving a thin shell ( refrigerate pulp for another use).
Brush inside and out of potato with butter. Place cut side up on an un greased baking sheet. Bake un covered,at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. Meanwhile,in a skillet cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink;drain. Add tomatoes and taco seasoning. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat;simmer, uncovered,for 20 minutes. Spoon into potato shells; sprinkle with cheese. Bake,uncovered 5 to 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and onions. Yield: 6 servings.

I would bake the potatoes the first time in the microwave. Use homemade taco seasoning
The recipe is in last months blogs. My ground beef is usually been cooked a d defatted already.


Meals from the grocery trip next time

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Things your grocer doesn't want you to know

I used to be the accountant for a wholesale grocer years ago. It probably will come to no surprise to you that the stores have spent great time, money and effort to ensure that you spend more money at their store.

They know that most people go right when they enter a store.
They know that the longer you spend in a store, the more money you will spend. That's why some stores are constantly changing their layout.

The more people you bring with you, the more you will spend.

People are lazy. They look in the middle of the shelf. Grocery stores get "rent" called slotting fees from manufacturers to show their product on the eye level shelves.
So look down and up on the shelves for the better buys.

It is no accident that the toys are next to the kids sugary cereal. Or that they have impulse buys by the checkout lines to tempt you while you are waiting.

There are stores that shall remain a secret that have a 42 percent markup. Probably because the more exoctic foods and the fancier the store, the more markup they have to have to make a profit.

Never go shopping when you are too hungry. You will be tempted by too many impulse buys.

That is one reason going to the store every two days to buy two days worth of dinners is a budget mistake. Another is it wastes time and gas. Going to a store only because they have the friendliest checkout personnel is another dumb thing. If going to the grocery store is your social time, you need to get a life! Lol

After you get yourself set up, you will find that you spend less time on the whole FOOD thing than you did before.

My whole life isn't getting food cheap. I run two businesses, write a blog, belong to a service organization for women, work, and run a house and Im a grandmother.
I just budget my time, like I budget my food budget.

I found a book on ground meat recipes for 3.00. It has a lot of good recipes. Anytime you can find an inexpensive bool from "Taste of Home" it is a good investment. I have written for them, and many other home cooks have as well. Their recipes for the most part are down to earth recipes that are very doable. If they call for a mix, adjust your recipe.

Green Chili Flautas
(Taste of Home)

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1cup grated cheese
1can chopped green chilies, drained
1/2 tsp ground cumin

10 7" flour tortillas
1/3 cup butter or margarine,melted.

Toppings: lettuce, tomato, salsa, sour cream

Cook meat in skillet until no longer pink. Add cheese and chilies, and cumin.
Set aside.
Warm tortillas. (30-60 seconds on a paper towel in the microwave.
Brush both sides with butter.
Spoon about 1/3 cup meat mixture down the center of the tortilla. Roll tightly.
Place seam side down in a 9x13 pan.
Bake uncovered at 500 degrees for 5-7 minutes until golden brushing once with butter.


Notes : I would use a little less hamburger and cheese. I would also use olive oil instead of butter or a combination of olive oil and butter. Maybe olive oil to soften the tortilla and butter to brown them. Tortillas are cheapest in that size at grocery outlet. Larger ones are cheaper at Costco. Green chilies are often on sale especially around the 5th of May. I want to pay .50. You could also use chopped or shredded chicken that you add some taco seasoning to. ( then I would omit the cumin.)

More Tex- Mex tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

How to adjust a recipe

Many recipes sound really good, but have real expensive ingredients or start with a mix. A lot of times a minor adjustment will make the same dish just as good, but cheaper.

Blueberry pie or cobbler first comes into mind. Blueberries have been inexpensive a lot lately. Blueberry pie filling is a little blueberries and a lot of " sauce".
all that "sauce" consists of is sugar and cornstarch. To make a blueberry cobbler, grease a 8x8 pan. Put washed and drained blueberries in it. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of sugar (less if using sugar substitute) and a tablespoon of cornstarch. Toss berries.
Make the cobbler part from the Bisquick box. Put the blueberry mixture in the oven for an extra 5 minutes, or until the berries are bubbly. Then add your cobbler mixture and finish baking off. My daughter and I tag team this and have a cobbler together in five minutes flat!

You can do the same thing with blackberries. They may need more sugar.


Any recipe can be made cheaper if you substitute for the ready made part. Cream of mushroom soup is often the base of some casseroles. Use a thin white sauce.
White sauce is 1T fat ( butter, olive oil,vegetable oil) in a saucepan. Barely heat and add 1T flour and make a paste. Whisk in quickly a cup of milk, cream or chicken stock and milk mixture and whisk until thick. This makes 1cup of sauce. Multiply the recipe for how many cups you need.

This is the base for Mac and cheese. Make two cups of white sauce , after it is thick, add grated cheese. I use whatever cheese is in the cheese drawer of the fridge. Bits and pieces of different cheeses make a good Mac and cheese. I top it with dry bread crumbs mixed with parsley and parm that I have run across the micro plane. It makes the cheese real fine grate. Bake at 350 until heated through. About a half hour.

Often times if I don't have a fresh herb in my garden, I use more dried herbs instead.


Bisquick biscuits are really fast and easy and a lot less expensive than the ones out of a tube.

Hamburger helper is noodles and sauce. It often costs more than the meat you put In It.


Toppings to cover chicken are just breadcrunbs mixed with herbs and cheese. A few minutes work, and the are 4.00 a pound where I looked.

Take a calculator and figure out how much some things in small packages cost per poumd. It will really surprise you.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Oops, I forgot albertsons, the best buys this week.

ALBERTSONS

Usually I don't find any bargains a Albertsons. My daughter found this.

Peaches, nectarines, plums .88
Chicken of the sea tuna .59
Eggs .99 limit 2
Tillamook cheese 4.99
Fryers.99
Blue berries 2.99
Corn 2/1.00
Grapes 1.99
Strawberries 4/7.99

Thanks forcstopping by

Jane

This weeks grocery ads

TOP

Eggs .99 with ooupon, limit 1
Sirloin tip roast, buy 1, get 1. 2.50 lb
Pork chops 1.69
Coleslaw mix 1.00


QFC

80 percent beef 2.79

Butter 2.00
Chicken .99
Blueberries2/6


SAFEWAYS

Plums .99
Chicken .88
Beef chuck 2.49

FRIDAY ONLY
Cheese 5.00 2 lb. Limit 4. FRIDAY ONLY
Turkey burgers 3 ilbs 5--FRIDAY ONKY
Shrimp 5.00 lb
Cake 5.00

One for a price comparison. Roasted chicken is 5.00 at Safeways, 5.99 at TOP.

At Safeways raw chicken is .88 a pound. Roasted chickens are 3 pounds. That's a minimum of 1.67 a pound. Almost twice as expensive as the raw chicken.

It takes about ten minutes to put a chicken In the oven. That's 15.00 an hour you are making for your labor! Not to mention you can get a 5 pound chicken and get a better
meat to bone ratio.

80 percent hamburger is 2.69, sirloin tip roast is 2.49. You can grind your own and be .20 cents a lb cheaper and with a whole lot less fat.

2.69 lb equals 3.23 dollars for meat, 2.49 for your ground sirloin is 2.66. .57 a lb difference and a lot healthier.

9 percent hamburger is 4.11 at WinCo. The difference is 1.62 tines 10 pounds is about
32.00 an hour for your time.

The chicken can be cooking while you are grinding the meat!


That's all for now

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Grocery outlet /lynnwod buys

Reduced fat Hebrew national franks 2.49
Tomato paste 2/1.00
Hamburger buns 1.09
Texas toast .49. Can u spell French toast!!
Red pepper large . 79

I saved over half!!

If you have questions or comments please feel free to comment below

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Meals planned from the grocery ads

I plan my meals from the grocery ads after I finish shopping and putting away the groceries. Fruits and veggies in fresh proof containers, meat in the freezer, or set in the fridge for cooking later. Packaged goods, or canned goods in the pantry. Our pantry is over the top so its time to slow up the stock. That means that I am spending less than 75 a week for 4 people.

I plan after shopping in case I find a really good deal on something I need to use up quickly, or something that was on sale was either gone when I got to the store, or was not to my liking.

Not having a plan is the quickest way to fall off the budget wagon because it is hard to think of the answer to what's for dinner when you are tired.



Imaginary grocery ad

Chicken breasts .99
Tuna .88
Country spareribs 1.99
Eggs 1.29 a dozen
Cheese 4.95 2 pounds


Ok.

1) chicken parmigiana ,noodles, green salad, French bread (6.00)
2) chicken veggie foil wraps, French bread (3.75)
3) BBQ spareribs, coleslaw , rice. (6.00)
4) tuna casserole, mixed frozen vegetables, (3.20)
5) skillet cheeseburger Mac, salad, bread (4.08)
6) quiche, designer salad ( field greens, strawberries, strawberry vinaigrette 5.00
7) tacos, refried beans (5.00)

1) 4 boneless chicken breast halves in 8x8 greased pan. Combine 1 can tomato paste, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1 T parsley flakes, 1/2 tsp EACH of Italian seasoning, oregano, pinch of red pepper flakes in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
Pour over chicken. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes at 400 degrees or until juices run clear and chicken is done. Sprinkle with 6 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of parm. ( I think that you can use less cheese and use 1/2 cup of tomato sauce or reserved pasta sauce instead. Adjust for the seasonings that are already in the sauce). Bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

2) chicken veggie foil wraps.: flatten 4pieces of chicken breast. (1#) 1/2pound mushrooms, baby carrots, red peppers, salt and pepper thyme. Place chicken on double thickness of greased foil. Add the veggies on top. Seal inside pouch. Bake on cookie sheet at 375 for 20 minutes or until chicken is done.

3). Place spareribs in crockpot. Add a can of beer or chicken broth to cover. Cook on low 8 -10 hours. Take ribs out and carefully put on foil on broiler pan. Spread BBQ sauce on them and broil until sauce is bubbly.

4) tuna casserole , mixed veggies

5)cook 1/2 pound of macaroni . Sauté 1 stalk of celery , chopped;1/4 of red pepper, one carrot, chopped, garlic powder and onion powder in 2T olive oil until soft.
Add 1# hamburger and fry until no longer pink. Add 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 8 oz can tomato sauce. Simmer 10-15 minutes until flavors blend. Add 1 cup grated Mex cheese blend and cover and cook until cheese is melted.

6) ham quiche ( Bisquick box)
7) taco meat ready made by you. Fry hamburger.drain, pour boiling water over, drain. Return to pan. Add 2 rounded T taco seasoning. Use 3/4 pound. Add lettuce, tomato, cheese. Heat refried beans in microwave safe bowl in microwave until warm. Add skim of cheese and microwave until melted.

Total of seven meals is 33.03 or 4.72 a meal.

Thanks for stopping by
Jane





E

Cheap not inferior quality

My object is to find good food cheap ; not to find cheap food. There are some things that I will not compromise on. Hot dogs have a lot of "stuff" in them. I only buy nathans or Hebrew national. Hebrew national bothers me because they have less hot dogs in a package than hotdog buns do. Both are good quality. Not everyone carries nathans.

Chicken is the next thing. I only buy northwest chickens that are over 3 pounds -- usually five pounds. They last several meals and a lot can be done with chicken.

I usually stick to the bigger name brands of canned goods. Chicken of the sea tuna is good, but I found that hagan (TOP FOODS brand) is better than chicken of the sea. Bumble bee is good too

You don't have to eat cheap food to eat food cheap.

Eating on a budget can be more healthful than not eating on a budget. Snack and processed foods are usually not that good for you.

We live in a fast paced society. But there are ways to cook dinner fast without resorting to dinner in a box or fast food.

Thanks for stopping by
Jane

Notes on shopping and recap

I have been reading every article, book, and cookbook on economy food since the 70's.
Some of them are Just a rehash of what I already knew, and some were downright comical.
Like who gets chicken parts for .28 cents a pound and just what part of the chicken is it? Lol

Some are really cheap, but not what I would consider good nutrition. I have tried to compile notes and observations that were middle of the road; not over the top health conscious, but not cheap hotdogs, 28 cent a pound chicken and hamburger once in a while.

That being said, here is an overview of my philosophy and some notes.

My mantra is never pay full price. I try for half at the checkouts. Being retired, I have more time than money, but if you aren't retired, the children can do some of the prep work and learn something in the process. The old native American adage, give a man a fish and he eats for one day ; teach a man to fish and he eats forever ( paraphrased) makes a lot of sense.


Stock anything that you use a lot of when it is the cheapest price. Stock as much as you will use until it goes on sale again, or as much as you will use before the expiration date. If I use the item once a week and it is rarely on sale, I will buy 24 of them so I have enough for 6 months. If I only use the item once a month, I might buy 4 - 6 . Keep a small spiral notebook and log the items that you use a lot, the size of the item, and where you got it for what price. Sometimes you will begin to see
pattern.

Periodically during the week , take a quick overview of your perishables and use them or preserve them before they go bad. ( eat, freeze, dry ?)

Go to more than one store, research before you go, and plan your trips for gas conservation. Once a month to six weeks, go to the stores that are farther away from home and stock up . My list of stores would be WinCo, Costco, grocery outlet.
Certain things are consistently cheaper at these stores.

Plan meals and work in a few almost no effort meals for the days that you know are going to challenging.

Try to cook everything from scratch. Ready made food has preservatives and you usually pay dearly for someone else's labor. Some things aren't worth making from scratchmayonnaise and refried beans come to mind. Sometimes instant mashed potatoes are cheaper than homemade. Non fat dry milk is more expensive than low fat liquid milk.


Now to nitty gritty


Tomatoes are really seasonal. We get tomatoes year round,but the quality and price make them better in the spring and summer. Ck the price between cherry and larger tomatoes. Do the math, usually the larger ones are cheaper. Also, roma tomatoes are more flesh and less seeds.

Field greens ( designer lettuce) or whatever you call it, is cheaper usually at Costco.
If the lettuce is cheaper than 1.33 a head, it is cheaper than buying the 3.99 box at Costco. There are storage solutions on the market that keep veggies fresher longer, they are more than worth the investment.

When round or sirloin roasts are 2 for; consider making stew meat and grinding your own
Hamburger. The fat content is more controlled, and you know what is in it. If you don't have a grinding attachment on your mixer, you can get grinders that our grandmothers used at almost every antique store, or find them at garage sales. Ask, someone might have one they haven't put out for sale. Sterilize it and go for it. Make sure it has all it's parts. You should have several grinding disks. They are usually well under ten bucks and will pay for themselves in A short period of time.

Don't but snack foods out of your regular budget for food. If they are separate you can rapidly see just how much they cost and how healthy alternatives are better.

Coupons are sometimes a good thing, but if it is for something you wouldn't ordinarily buy anyway, they are not a bargain. Rarely do I see coupons for something that is what I consider real food. Ask yourself, is there a cheaper alternative. Store brands come from the same assembly line that the brand names do. They just cost more. All those ads on tv cost money and it gets added to the price of the product.



That's all I can squeeze into this time.
Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Foil bakes..it's summer time.

An easy fun dinner especially for kids is foil bakes. There are no dishes for mom, the kids get to open a surprise "package" and each person can customize it to their taste.

FOIL BAKES

Mix together veggie, and seasonings, and sauce
Place starch in GREASED 12x12 foil. If your foil is thin, double it

Top with vegetable mixture
Layer protein
Top with topping
You will end up with a pile of food.
Lift two sides of foil up and seal snugly. Then fold the ends over several times to seal..place on baking sheet.

Bake at 400 degrees for allotted time

TEX MEX BURGERS

Veggie: 1 cup corn, drained, chopped onion and red pepper to taste
Seasonings:taco seasoning
Sauce: 3/4 cip beef broth with 1 tsp flour or cornstarch

Starch: 2cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed

Protein:1# ground beef , salt and pepper and form 4 patties

Topping: black olives


Bake 20 minutes


CREAMED CHICKEN AND POTATOES

Veggie: 10 oz package of chopped broccolli, drained.
Seasonings 1/3 cup grated parm cheese, 1/4 tsp EA thyme, nutmeg and crushed red pepper
Sauce: 1cup white sauce
Starch cup new red potatoes thinly sliced
Protein: 4 chicken cutlets
Topping:parm cheese or sesame seeds

Bake 25 minutes or until chicken is done.

Next time notes on shopping

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Our trip to WinCo

We went to WinCo this week and TOP Foods. WinCo requires you to bag your own foods, so
Bring a buddy to help you. Like any grocery store ,some things are more expensive than elsewhere but the majority of things are cheaper. It is just too far away to go every week.

Prices


Hebrew National HOT DOGS 3.11
Diced Ham 3.58
2large Pork Sirloin 7.98
Tomato on the vine .98
red potatoes 5 # 1.98
refried beans .78
Taco shells .98
Granny smith apples 1.28
Cherries 1.48
Raspberries 1.98
Hunts pasta sauce .78


Total 65.08

Sometimes I get diced ham for cheaper at the grocery outlet. They have it intermittently. Diced ham can go in a chef salad, in an omelet, on pizza, in split pea soup, I can make the bag augment 3 meals.

Hunts pasta sauce can make a pasta dinner inexpensive and fast. Let's cost no brained pasta. Sauce .78, pasta .88, 2 oz cheese (1 cup grated).32, 1/2 # ground beef 1.12
Totals 3.10. Serves 6. .52 a serving.
Add a vegetable and you are still under 4+1 is 5.


I will roast the one of the pork sirloin off and slice for roast pork, or sandwiches. The other one I will cube and braise for stew or soup, or grind for meatloaf mix.

The red potatoes with the eggs that I got for free last week and some of the ham will make a frittatas for well under the 5 bucks. That's 1.30 add field greens and strawberries with a balsamic vinaigrette. 3.30 for the meal.

Seven dinners basically from the above shopping list plus veggies from previous trips that average 5 bucks or less each.


No brainer pasta, veggi
Frittatas, salad
Pizza, green salad ( ham, peppers, )
Roast pork, red potatoes, green beams , fruit salad,
hot dogs, potato salad, fruit salad, veggie salad
Tacos, refried beans
BBQ pork sandwiches, veggie sticks, French fries.

Next time foil wraps

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

The grocery adds this week

There is am popular show on television on at noon in our area. The chew it is called. They had a popular chef on that was trying to shoe how to feed a family on food stamps.
In other words on the cheap, but nutritious meals. He stressed the need to go to more than one store. He also priced a chicken for anywhere between 5 and 15 dollars. I really don't know where one would go for a 15 dollar chicken. Maybe NYC.

Back to reality

TOP FOODS

Country ribs 1.77
2 pounds tillimock cheese 4.99 w coupon
Milk 2.49
Morning star vegetarian meat 2.99
Potatoes, russet 10#. 2.00

ALBERTSONS

Bumble bee tuna .88
Pasta .88
Hunts pasta sauce .88

SAFEWAYS

Peaches .77
London broil 2.49
Yogurt 10/5.00

QFC

Ribs 2.00
Milk 2.49
QFC bread 3/5.00--1.67

This weeks adds leave me cold. Almost everything featured is a ready made item.
On weeks like this, I will pick the best store around and go to one of my alternative stores a little further away. Perhaps, Winco and the bread store or grocery outlet.


Several things caught my attention. Side dishes (ready made mashed potatoes) were 24 oz for 2.50. Potatoes were 10 pounds for 2.00.and you don't know what preservatives they have in the ready made potatoes.

Next time..it is a surprise...lol
Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Extreme couponing

This week is the first time I have been exposed to an extreme COUPONER. I was at Albertsons in poulsbo. The lady in front of me bought a case of keikomon sauce because she had coupons for free. The checker had to ring them up three at a time because the cash register will only take three coupons per transaction. Now, who needs a case of soy sauce?

My main objection to extreme couponing is that most of the items that have manufacture
Coupons are things that are over priced in the first place and things that you don't need for good nutrition. Why take up room in your pantry with a case of soy sauce or Tabasco sauce when you could be using the space for items that are real food. One woman on a show was real proud of her hall closet full of 2 liter bottles of soda pop.
Who Really needs a closet of soda pop.

I do applaud the people that use coupons for real food that they intend on giving to shelters to Feed the homeless.

I use the store coupons and the new e coupons from Safeways. Seldom do I use manufacture coupons.

I think it is a bit extreme to spend 40 hours a week and two thousand dollars on newspapers to buy food that you cant use before the expiration date. Two thousand dollars will go a long ways to buy real food at discount prices.

Off my soapbox.

Have a wonderful holiday and keep safe.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

2009 dinners on the cheap

I ran on to a woman's day from 2009 "Feed your family for 99. A week.
They use the same concepts that we talked about earlier.
Pork roast Sunday dinner becomes pork and beans for Tuesday --stair stepping
A tortilla with ham, potato and eggs
Chicken
Cube steaks w peppers
Pasta prima Vera --vegetarian fare
Chefs salad -- another stair step from the tortilla

Breakfasts are cereal and fruit and eggs a couple of times a week
Lunches are tuna sandwiches and salads again that are stair steps from dinners.

They have a list of foods, but not cost out. They do think that one pound of cube steaks feeds four people. In think that with proper shopping skills, you can still do it for 75 dollars a week. Not paying full price for food is the key. Many times it saves 70 percent.

Next, my take on extreme couponing.

Thanks for stopping by.

Jane

Summer in the great pacific nw.

Well it's supposed to be summer but it has rained and been cold everyday this week.
We are still having winter foods.

Let's talk about using up and managing the refrigerator. Every day or so survey the refer and incorporate anything that is approaching it's lifespan into your meal before it expires. Can it be frozen ? Can you make veggie stock? Do you need to make banana bread. Betty crocker has a good recipe for banana blueberry bread that has some oatmeal in it. You can use fresh or frozen blueberries.

Bread can be dried for breadcrumbs. Apples can be applesauce. Veggies can be stock.
Not letting your fresh foods get away from you is a good way to stretch your dollars, and as our grandmothers would say, not wasting food.

Children should know that soup doesn't come out of a can. Or that Mac and cheese doesn't come out of a box. I can remember when my husband and I were both out of work, we were economizing. I started soup bones early one Sunday morning. My young son took a look at the pot and asked what that was. Soup I informed him. Well, hebsaid it doesn't look like soup. I said " trust me it will by dinner time.". All day I stocked the pot and by the time dinner time was there, it was soup and a loaf of bread was on the table.

I guess he was amazed and astounded??? He went to school and told his teacher. His teacher (thank you teacher) said home made soup is so much better than canned soup.


A lot of this is either set it and forget it cooking, or something that an be done quickly in the microwave you do other chores in the kitchen.

It's all about shopping wisely and getting out of the kitchen quickly unless you have the time and want to cook all day.

Thanks for stopping by...

Please leave a comment and tell me what you want to hear about.

Jane

More on the water

Cooking on the boat is a challenge, one thing at a time and then keep itnall warm. Using the grill and making one dish meals with a salad works best. Like tonight we are going to have sausage, peppers, and new red potatoes.

You can cook the same as home, but restrict your dishes to the most simplified ones. The first night we had retried beans and tacos. We cooked the refried beans and two kinds of taco meat...reg and veggie in foil in the same pot.

Foil bakes work well on the grill. The recipes are at home, but basically you take a double layer of heavy foil and stack some sauce or liquid in the bottom, and add
Starch, protein , and veggie and seasonings.

Example. Water ( a couple of tablespoons
Thinly sliced potato
Hamburger pattie
Green beans
Salt and pepper

Wrap in double thickness of foil and grill or put on hot coils if you are camping
And cook until the meat is done. Time depends in the heat of your fire.
We do the same recipe at home in the oven.
More combos later.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Notes on the water

Good afternoon. In scandia country. Cooking while camping can still be an economical feat. It takes a little bit more creative thinking.

RICE SALAD

2cups brown rice, cooked

In bowl, mix together
2T orange juice
1 T soy sauce
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
1 tsp crushed garlic
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, canned


Chop 2ribs celery
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1/2 each of red bell pepper, green pepper, yellow pepper
1 c roasted peanuts ( or other nuts) almonds sound good
1/3 cup raisins

When rice is cooked, dump dressing on it and chill, stir occasionally.
When rice is cooled, dump the veggies in it and stir.

Adapted from PCC flyer

We are having a pork tenderloin that I got on sale for 5., corn on the cob, salad and
Pudding for desert.

Camping fare!

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Oatmeal and other ideas

Good morning.

I thought I would talk about oatmeal. Like most everything else it is cheaper to buy oatmeal in the large packages than it is to buy the single serving microwave packets. It takes almost no more time to make it in the microwave than it does in the packets.

Put 1 cup water and 1/2 cup oatmeal with a dash of salt in a micro safe bowl. Cook
2 1/2 to 3 minutes on high. Add milk and sugar. Sometimes I add raisins or craisens or brown sugar. Other dried fruits may be good also. Blueberries?

Almost everything is cheaper and more healthy if made from scratch. Non fat dry milk is more expensive than regular 2%milk. Instant mashed potatoes are less expensive than scratch when potatoes are more expensive. When you can get pasta sauce for a dollar or less, it is cheaper than scratch. Tomato soup in a box is cheaper than making it from scratch unless you have a bumper crop of tomatoes in your garden.

I haven't priced flour lately, but I don't think that it would be cheaper to make a multiple grain bread from scratch than the 3/ 5.89 that it is a the franz outlet.

That's all for now.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Let's talk bread and butter.

When I was growing up, my Dad insisted that regular bread and butter be on the table every night. THere was a time when my folks were saving to pay off more of the house. Mom made bread every Thursday. That was the night that we knew we were going to have pizza. Mom went through a period when she decided that she would be really really efficient and we had the same meal the same day of the week every week. She also washed a certain load of clothes on monday , etc.

Bread. We go once every four to six weeks to the bakery outlet and freeze bread. The loaves of pan bread are 3/ 5.89. I buy the loaves of sandwich loaves and freeze them. They also have the same brown and serve baguettess that Costco has. The last time I checked, they were .69 cents a loaf. I like to serve the " French bread" with soup for a comforting meal. It's good on rainy days. Not that the Pacific Northwest has any rain lol.

There are a lot of bread baker recipes out there. Bread bakers were popular in the nineties . You could probably get them at the goodwill. I don't know if they still make them or not. Sour dough starter is a good inexpensive way to make bread .

Butter is 2.00 a pound this week. My nutritionist says that you are better off using a little butter than using a spread. The denser the spread, the more Fat it has.

I cut a loaf of Crusty bread in half lengthwise. Put a skim of butter on it and sprinkle with either steak seasoning (dollar store) or a hard cheese that I have used the micro plane on and broil the bread. The micro plane is a good way to stretch your cheese.

Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment telling me what city you are in.

Jane

This weeks specials

Good morning. I know I'm early, but some people want to shop right when the adds come out when selection is good. I used to shop on Wednesday until they changed my hours at work and friendship hour started.

SAFEWAYS

Country ribs 1.99
Corn on cob 6/1.00
Berries 1.99/ 6 oz

$5.00. FRIDAY
Lemon meringue pie
18 oz blueberries
Turkey burgers
Grapes1.99.

Just for U
Tillamook Cheese. 4.99

QFC

Butter 2/4.00
Yogurt 3/1.00
Blues 18 oz 4.99
RAGU..on sale for 1.49*** note we paid 1.00 last week, that's a 33 percent savings over the " sale " price.

TOP

Blues 32 oz for 5.99
Corn 3/1@ (coupon)
country style ribs 2.00
Milk 2.49
Mayo 1.99
Chicken of the sea tuna .89

ALBERTSONs

HILSHIRE farms sausage 2/5.00


That's all for that. Cross off anything that you have a stock of, and the larger prices and you are left with the two stores that work for u.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Salads and other summer?... Meals

Good morning.

First, my logic. I spend about an hour a week extra grocery shopping. It is probably not more than the person that goes to the store 4 times a week, buying one day at a times worth of groceries and running to the store every time they run out of something.
I spend more time shopping, and less time cooking. I can still cook from scratch and get in and out of the kitchen fast.

One of the things I like to do in the summer is to make several salads on the weekend and add an entree with it each day. Things like hamburger, hot dogs , chicken breast BBQ.

The salads that people have come up with are a lot more tasty and give us a lot more variety than those of our mothers.

Caprice salad is easy . When tomatoes are in season and if you have basil in the garden, it can be inexpensive. We get a basil plant from utsalady bay that if you keep in water lasts a really long time.

Field greens with fruit and a fruit vinaigrette .

Pasta salad

Potato salad

Coleslaw

Fruit salad

Veggie platter

BALSAMIC GREEN. BEAN SALAD from taste of home

2lbs fresh green beans, trimmed to 1.5 inch pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
3T lemon juice (cheaper in the bottle)
3T balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp EACH of salt, pepper,garlic powder, ground mustard

1large red onion, chopped
4cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1cup crumbled feta cheese

1) cook beans in water until crisp tender. Drain and ice them. Drain and pat dry.
2) whisk oil and lemon, vinegar, and spices together and pour over beans.
3) stir in onions and refrigerate at least 1hour. Before serving, add tomatoes and cheese.

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

More quick soups and go withs

Cheesy tavern soup ( dedicated to Gary)

4Tbls olive oil
1/2 cup EACH chopped celery, carrot , green pepper, and one onion
2quarts chicken broth (substitute veggie broth if vegetarian)
2cans beer (room temperature)
4tbls butter cubes
2tsp salt
2tsp pepper
4cups shredded cheese ( 16 oz)

1) sauté veggies until tender.
2) dump everything BUT the cheese into crockpot.
Cook on low 6 hours or on high 2-4 hours

Disolve 1/2 cup of flour in small amount of water.
Stir well into crockpot.
Continue cooking 10-15 minutes until thickened.


To serve, ladle soup into broil safe bowls. Top each with cheese. Broil 10-15 min until cheese has melted.

I think that you could fudge some on the cheese and lower the fat content.
8 servings

VEGGIE STOCK ( dedicated to cj)

Coarsely chop 3EACH of carrots, parsnips, celery,leeks and one onion
3bay leaves
2sprigs of fresh thyme
4 sprins fresh parsley
8 whole peppercorns
Salt
Water

Dump everything into crockpot.
Cook on low 10 - 12 hours or high 6-8 hours.
Strain stock. Freeze, or refrigerate.

From crock pot cookbook

To economize, I would eliminate the leeks, and change the crest parsley and thyme to dried unless I had them in my garden.

GO WITHS FOR SOUP

Crackers and cheese
Tortilla strips
French bread , butter and shake steak seasoning, or parm cheese, or garlic
Sour cream, parm cheese
Croutons

Next time salads

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

15 minutes and I am out of the kitchen--soups

Yesterday I talked about boxed tomato-red pepper soup. I add basil, chopped, seeded tomatoes, and blue cheese. If I need to stretch it out I add some milk.
Top with sour cream or Parm.

Crock pot cookbooks are full of soup recipes. Throw ingredients in a pot and turn the pot on. Be careful, some crockpots have two Knobs.

Beef and vegetable soup

1pd ground beef, cooked with onion and garlic. (I cook ground meats when I get home from the grocery store and divide it into meal proportions).

Add
2cups cabbage and carrots mixed, shredded
10 ounces frozen corn
Green beans
4cups tomato juice
1can diced tomatoes
Basil, pepper, w sauce.

Cook on low 8-10 hours.
This is from bH&g crockery cookbook. It could price out as expensive. I would use a can of green beans and substitute a can of diced tomatoes with some stock whirled in the blender.

Manhattan clam chowder

2 6 oz cans of clams, drained, save juice

Drained clam liquid
2cups potatoes, cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped red pepper
1can diced tomato
2T Italian seasoning
1- 10 oz can of tomato juice
Salt, thyme and bay leaf

Dump everything EXCEPT the clams in the crockpot.
Cook on low 8-10hours or on high 4-5 hours

When ready to eat,turn pot up to high, add clams and cook 5 minutes.discard bay leaf.
Garnish with crumbled bacon if desired.

That's all for now

Thanks for stopping by.
Please leave a comment what city you are reading from.

Jane

When ready to eat, turn pot on high, add the drained clams

It's Junuary...let's talk about soup!

Soup is one of the easiest things to learn to cook. Canned soup is getting so pricy that even at today's prices, you can make enough soup for two meals for little more than the price of a can of soup.

That being said, I keep a stock of tomato, chicken noodle, and cream of mushroom. I only buy it if I can get it for .50 cents a can. I buy boxed tomato soup when I can get it for 6 for ten dollars. It is about 3.50 each at the grocery store, but sometimes Costco has it. I also find some soups at the grocery outlet. When I can get squash soup for 1.39, I get it. It takes hours to make squash soup. Yummy. Mushroom soup is a good base for vegetarian soup.

Save the ends of veggies and use them to make stock. Either vegetable stock, or chicken stock with the bones from a chicken you have deboned. Then pressure cooker is a real time saver for this one. The new pressure cookers are safer and shut themselves off.


We have already covered split pea and sausage bean soup. Generally, there are two kinds of soup--cream soups and stock based soups. Cream soups are cooked quickly on top of the stove. Stock based soups are either done on top of the stove, or can be a "set it and forget it" in the crockpot. Best to use cooked meat in the crockpot. I do make spareribs and pot roast.
If you see a recipe that calls for a pre made "mix" . Don't disregard ot, substitute fresh ingredients for it.

Lasagna Soup

1/2. Pound ground beef, cooked.
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 pkg lasagna dinner mix ( noodles and Italian spice)
I would guess a 7 oz package od mix would have a cup or so of noodles,
and a tbls of spice.

5 cups water
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 can corn ( or use 3/4 cup of frozen )

1 small zuchini chopped

Grated parmesan cheese.

In stockpot, sauté onions . Add meat, water, tomatoes and corn. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Add noodles and zucchini and simmer for another 10 minutes or until noodles are done. Serve with parmesan cheese.

Note: I get diced tomatoes for .50 cents to .67 cents... Usually at top foods.
I buy a brick of Parma or other hard cheese at Costco. It lasts a long time, just gets better with age. I use a micro plane..it stretches cheese a long ways.

I get canned corn for .50 and frozen corn for 1.00 a package.



I declare this soup week...murphy's law maybe it will bring on the sun. Lol

Thanks for stopping by,

Jane

The cheapest grocery store this week.

I thought I would give an overview of My process of picking the stores to go to this week. I first went through the coupons that came in the grocery adds. I found one for lunchmeat, and one for morning star products.

We have Safeways,Albertsons, Top Foods, and QFC in this area. There are dollar stores both north and south of us, each around a cluster of grocery stores. I can go to either set of stores and keep a tight circle so I don 't waste time or gas.

Safeways has a new program " Just for u" . My daughter set it up for me in the computer. There are several things I buy marked really low....basically, free eggs, milk, bread, lettuce...the basics.

I take a piece of computer paper, usually one from the scrap pile off the printer, divide it into quarters and mark each section with a grocery store.

"Safeways".

Just for u offers

Onions .88
Tomatoes .99
Strawberries 1# 1.99
Beef bottom round bigi. 5.49

$5.00 Fridays: tilapia, 3lb strawberries,cream cakes
1.00 ...dry pasta, pizza dough balls ( I think that is cheaper than scratch.

QFC

Cake mix 1.00 (I keep one ahead )
raspberries 1.25
Ragu 1.00
Biscuits 1.00.
Ore Ida mashed pot 1.00



TOP
Chicken 1.00 lb
Milk 1.99

Albertsons
Cheese 4.99 2 #
10% off entire purchase
Pasta .75 lb (buy 10)

Now, cross off anything you have enough stock of, and anything that is cheaper elsewhere. Pick two stores that are clustered together or on your way to somewhere.
I keep a cooler bag in my car for shopping trips, also many cities around here require you to use paper bags, or bri g your own. In Seattle, it costs you 5 cents for a bag unless you bring your own.

Don't forget to put a c in a circle where you need a coupon, and BRING your coupons.
I also bring my adds.

Happy shopping!

Thanks for stopping by...
Jane

Post 499 where are you?

Good morning, whereever you are. While writing t his, I just assumed that I was writing to people in the Pacific Northwest. While looking at stats, I discovered that there are people in Germany and South Korea reading too. A lot of this theory is based on A typical family in suburbia. Many things can be adapted to fit your lifestyle. I have copies of magazine articles through the years; most of them are based on full price food from NNew York City or Mid America.


An article in May 1991 Woman's day is feeding a family of four for 84 dollars a week.
The prices are remarkably higher than what we can buy the items for today--even shopping wisely. I really don't think that the food is any bettr in general. They talk about pepper steak, chicken bologona (yuk,gag me with a spoon), chicken potato salad, ziti with meatballs, salmon cakes, pork butt steaks,chicken drumsticks, sandwiches for lunch and Sunday breakfast everyday. lunch at our house is usually on the fly, no one is at home at the same time and some od us work. Breakfast is more fast passed as well, getting ready for work or school. In other words, we have less formal breakfast and lunches and I suspect that many others in America do as well. We do make it a point to eat dinner together as a family most nights.

I consistently spend 75 dollars a week on food. That leaves me a stock and buys the staples like flour, etc. That does not buy snack foods other than popcorn or dinners out. There are three adults and a child in our family at the present.

By planning meals around your stock and what is on sale the current week, and using tricks to easily cook meals, you can eat better for less money.

Next time: analyze this weeks grocery ads.

Thanks for stopping by. Leave a comment to let me know in what town you are reading this.

Jane

Breakfast

Breakfast is really important to start your day.

Some examples and then about ingredients.

Egg, whole wheat English muffin, fruit

Oatmeal with brown sugar and fruit.

Yogurt and whole wheat toast with peanut butter.

Pancakes and fruit, sausage.

Muffin or banana-blueberry bread and fruit.

$$$$$$$$

Eggs are frequently on sale, with a far out pull date.
Bread and English muffins are best at the franz outlet. I get double fiber
Bread for health reasons, bit all the pan breads are 3/ 5.89. English muffins are in large packages and less than the grocery store. You almost always get free hamburger buns at the bread store. Oatmeal is cheapest at Win co. There is a good recipe in the Bisquick cookbook for banana blueberry bread that has some Bisquick and oatmeal. Fast and easy with good nutrition.

I buy whatever fruit that is in season. Bananas are always cheaper at costco.

Fiber one bars were a dollar a package at grocery outlet. They are a quick fix if you have to get out of the house quickly.

Guess that's all.

Thanks for stopping by!
Jane

Four plus One is FIVE!

Four people , one meal, five bucks.

I spend 75 dollars a week on food. I could easily drop to 65 and maintain a smaller stock. Setting yourself a dollar amount keeps you in check. To maintain that amount,
Dinners need to be five bucks to leave money for breakfast. Lunch can be leftovers or
A sandwich. Many retired people eat a large breakfast and a large dinner.


By watching your food budget, you would be surprised how many dinners come in less than
Five dollars. Setting a ceiling on the amount you pay per pound for protein and veggies keeps you in check. Averaging helps. I want to spend 2.50 on protein.
The dollar figure hasn't changed much from the seventies. The protein has become more creative. We as a nation have found that 6 ounces per person of meat is not healthy.
I usually try for, a protein, a veggie, a salad and a starch per meal. Sometimes it is
In the form of a soup or casserole.

Last night we had turkey sausage (tube kind) with red potatoes, and red peppers. French bread, and strawberry shortcake for desert.


More examples:

Cheeseburger macaroni ( I only get pasta products when they are a dollar a pound. They have a LONG shelf life)

Breakfast for dinner -- quiche, sausage and eggs

Sausage and bean soup...or just bean soup and cheesy bread

Tacos and Re fried beans. I only use canned beans. Cooking them from scratch
Doesn' pay if you get beans for 50 cents and "fresh" beans and rice only can be sadly kept I'm the refer for two days.They don't freeze well.

Roast chicken, chicken breast, chicken pot pies

Roast pork, pork chops with stuffing, pork sandwiches

Guess, I'm out of space
Next time, breakfast!
Thanks for stopping by
Jane

Pizza crust

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.

Odds and Ends from my notes and the Pizza Crust Recipe

I found my notes from years ago.  So here are the things that I haven't already covered .
1) be sure to make a list of seven main dishes when you get home from the store.
    If you take advantage of the meats on special, you may decide at the store that they are
    not what you want. 

2) Buying ahead and stocking is a good way to insure you have food in the event of a disaster, be it
   you lost your job, or an act of God event....

3)  Never go shopping hungry .  and avoid taking extra people with you.  The more people, the larger
the food bill, statistics show. 

4) AVOID impulse buys.  The peremeter of the store has the necessities and the middle of the
   store has the other stuff. 

5)  Watch the end isle displays...they aren't always "on Sale" . Know your prices.  The price book
     helps, but after a while, you will remember prices. 

6)  Watch the scanner.  Scanners are notorious for making mistakes. 

7)  Not everything at costco is cheaper.  Take a small calculator along and check. 
     Watch produce bags at costco carefully.  If one or two of your product is bad, you
     haven't saved anything. 

8)  Don't buy snack foods. 

9)  If you have children with a hollow leg, buy certain items that they know are "FREE" items
     that they can eat all they want, and it isn't part of dinner.  Make sure that they are things that
    they like and that they are nutricious. 

10)  Statistics show that the longer we are in a store , the more we spend.  That's why stores
       change things around. Hit the store with your list of specials and necesities, and get out. 

11)  Dinner "Kits" are expensive.  Make them from scratch.  Most of the time, it takes no moe time
       than if you make them from a box.  The word Convenience starts with the letter $.
            Our family calls this  "No Brainer Pasta"
           Open Large can of Pasta Sauce (Hunts)  any flavour, hold aside 3/4 of a cup. 
           Add 3.5 cups of water to it in a bowl.  (you should have 7 cups of diluted sauce)
           Grease a 9X13 pan (pam?)
           Pour 1 pound of DRY pasta into the pan and add the diluted sauce.
           Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes at 425degrees.
           Uncover, reduce heat to 400 at add Cooked meat of your choice and 1 cup of
           grated cheese.  Bake uncovered an additional 10 minutes. 

Instead of 2.50 for the sauce , it costs about .99 and you have left over sauce to use on
pizza  later in the week. 

          
Next Pizza Crust

Thanks for stopping by
Jane
           
          

THE "Rules"

My basic mantra is "Don't pay full price for anything"

Whem something is on sale really cheap, or at the lowest price it has been in the last six months, I buy  1)  as much as the store will let me buy  OR  as much as I can afford to buy  OR as much as I
can safely use before the expiration date or when I think it will go on sale again.  Storage of shelf ready goods can be creative when the savings is remarkable.  I look at it as if being a minimalist means that you can burn seventy five dollars a week and feel good about it....go for it. 

Start a small spiral bound notebook .  Put the items that you buy frequently on the top of the page, one item per page include the size of the package.

On the lines, put the 1) date you purchased the item  2) the store you purchased it from (use shorthand)  and the price you paid for it.  Soon you will begin to see how much the cheapest price is. 
I recently got Stag Chilli , even the vegetarian kind, for .50 a can.  Stag chilli is 1.59 and the usual sale price is a buck.  I bought 15 cans....(camping season is upon us )  .  I won't buy it again until it
goes on sale.  If we run out, we use an alternative. 

I stock anything that we use enough of .  Things with a short shelf life I keep one ahead, so that I
don't have to run to the grocery store when I run out.  Pasta has a EIGHT YEAR shelf life!  Can goods usually have a 3-4 year shelf life, except canned meat, and fish.  

If something is really really cheap because it is close to its expiration date, ( many things are sell by) I just use it immediately or I don't buy it. 

I almost NEVER buy junk food out of my grocery money.  If there is only good food in the house, the family will only eat good food.  This is expecially important if you have a picky eater. 

If I find that our stock of something is growing to fast, I hold off buying any until it dwindles and I find another sale. 

Not everything that the grocery store flyers say is on "SALE" is really on sale. If you religiously
follow the "PLAN"  there comes a time, when you really don't have to grocery shop for a week other than fresh foods. 

There are storage solutions that keep your produce fresher longer.  Invest in them if you can, they will save a bundle of money. 

Also, make the investment to get the tools you need to cook from scratch efficiently.  They will pay for themselves in the long run.  If you can't afford to buy them at the regular store, look at estate sales and garage sales . Old people are downsizing all the time and have to get rid of their countertop appliances.  Or save up for them.  Invest the money you save on groceries to make more money. 
That is what they call the snowball effect.  If you take the money you save on groceries and purchase a tool to help you save more time and money, it snowballs into a sizable amount of money over the years.  Fifty dollars a week times 52 weeks is 2600.00 a year.  Enough to go on a vacation or put into your kids college fund, or simply pay for some of the utilities. 

The next step

To recap: 1) We have covered developing our personal cookbooks using moderately priced sources of protein. 2) ways of cooking from scratch quickly. I don't want to spend more than 20 minutes in the kitchen at dinner time. 3) how much you can get "paid" for shopping wisely. 4) setting spending limits on food groups. 1.00 for veggies and fruit; 2.25 for protein. ( I make exceptions, but not real often, I average prices.) After shopping, sit down and make a list of the weeks main dishes. In preparation for shopping: 1). Clean the refer and bread storage and " dump everything dead". 2) write down anything you are short of. 3). Using the weekly grocery ads, divide a piece of computer paper in quarters and label each quarter with the name of the stores. (I use the waste from the printer or any junk mail that has two sides.). Now, write down anything in the grocery ad that you use in your meals that is featured. After a while, you will know if it is a bargain or not.cross off any item previously written down if you run on to a cheaper price. Now asses the two grocery stores that have the best bargains. Your goal is to pretty much only buy what is on sale. Plan your trip to bundle your errands so you don't waste gas. I go to two grocery stores a week. Once a month to six weeks I hit Costco, winco, the franz outlet and grocery outlet. I don't go to through grocery store and buy two days worth of groceries at a time. That jacks your grocery bill worst than almost anything else. The biggest don'ts are: frequent grocery store visits. The stores have spent a lot of research to get you to impulse buy. Buying your food at the fanciest and most expensive stores in town. Stick to the large chains and pick the lowest two for the week. Buying a lot of pre made things. That already cooled whole chicken at safe ways is three pounds. Even at 5.00 it is a lot of money. It takes 15 minutes or less to put a chicken in the oven and on sale you can get a 5 or 6 pound chicken for the same 5 bucks. Do the math and see which premeds are cheaper. A few are. A good math exercise for older children. If you really like something, buy one, and figure out what is in it. Next the basic " rules of grocery shopping" Thanks for stopping by. Please leave a comment and spread the word that I am here. If I don't get more hits, I am going to think that I am not doing anyone any good and quit This. Jane this.

An example of cheap...being flexible

We just got back from a shopping trip. We were looking for several things non food and landed at the sears complex..trying to get the most shopping for our gas. We ton to grocery outlet nearby. Kraft cooking cheese was 2/1.00 Tomatoes were 5/1.00 Betty crocker twice loaded potatoes were 2/1.00 Ore Ida sweet potato fries were 4 lbs for .99 cents Using 1.5 lbs of the fries, the free hamburger buns I got at the bread store, a pound of hamburger I ground myself for 2.25 a pound and my own sloppy Joe mix, and vEggie sticks, would make dinner 3.65. I spent probably one extra hour shopping this week. I spent less time cooking, but that being said, I saved 80.00. That 's 80.00 an hour. Not bad. That 's more than I ever made working.

Split pea soup

1). Two quarts of stock (chicken or veggie
2). 1 lb of dried split peas. Really cheap at grocery outlet or bulk at Costco.
3). 1/2 cup chopped ham. I get it at grocery outlet too
4). 1/4 cup chopped onion
5). 1/4 cup celery
6) 1/4 cup chopped carrot
7) salt and pepper

Dump everything into a crockpot Cook on low 8 to 10 hours Or on high for 4-6 hours
Thanks for stopping by
Jane

Soups . The other quick meal

The only thing about cooking from scratch when you work outside the home is that it is too easy to fall into the let's pick up something from the drive through or order pizza. The last thing you want to do after working eight hours and battling traffic for another two hours is to set about checking the mails and cooking a scratch dinner.

By using the style or styles of cooking that work for you ,it is possible to beat the system. 

Styles of cooking

1) fast and easy : hamburgers , hot dogs, pressure cooker

2) stair step: make more of one thing to re invent later in the week The rice that went under your sweet and sour chicken becomes Spanish rice with Your tacos another night

3) set it and forget it: crockpots are really your friend. Some oven meals are also Easy.

4). Batch cooking or marathon cooking. When I get hamburger home from the store (or grind hamburger) I buy a large amount. I make meatloaf, Salisbury steaks, or meat balls And taco meat or just fried crumbles. Freeze what you aren't going to use within the next two days. Marathon cooking is cooking a month's worth of meals in one day. There is a book on it, but I find it too taxing for me.


Back to soups: soup in the crockpot is an easy way to have dinner waiting for you when you get home from work. Or ready for the family if you are working late, or it's a night when everyone has a different schedule. Add a salad that you have pre made or veggie sticks and a hunk of French bread and you are done. Crock pot cookbook is a really good source. I got mine at Costco, but have seen it at TJ MAXX as well. Split pea soup. ...I am out of space will make another post See you in a minute. Jane

almost free pizza and other quick meals

I really like the word FREE! Sometimes QFC sends me free coupons. I rarely use coupons. The ones I find are usually for some expensive seasoning packet thar I don't use anyway. Seasoning packets and other pre made foods will really jack up your food bill quickly. A new coating of bread crumbs and cheese is 4 dollars a pound. That is more than you paid for the chicken ot goes on. It's real easy to make your own. Bread crumbs are almost free too and they are several dollars a pound if you buy them in the store. Just save all the crusts and left over hamburger and hotdog buns. Put them single layered on the oven on a 1/4 sheet  pan to dry. When you have a few minutes while something is cooking, grate them on the largest side of the grater, or whirl them in the food processor.

There. Is a make a mix cookbook that is probably out of print by now. you could probably get it from a used book store. It is from Hb books. It has recipes for cocoa mix, baking mix, ranch dressing,and many more.

Ok,  almost free pizza..

every time you chop anything that would go on a pizza while making another meal, you chop a little extra. Save, a zip lock in the freezer door. Also. Save any left over meat that is appropriate in it's own bag. When you have enough, make pizza

 I used to use frozen bread dough for crust . I haven't priced it lately. Then you can make individual crusts  and bake off rolls with any leftover dough. Lately I have been getting the cheapest frozen pizza I can..usually for 2.50 and putting our own toppings and cheese on it.

 I used to have a quick pizza crust recipe, but loaned both the book I got it from and the recipe and don't know who to. The methodolgy was the key, so any good piza dough recipe should work. Place the warm water, yeast and a little sugar on a glass. You can assemble the flour, salt, while the "science experient. Works. It will look like root beer with a head on it. Put east mixture and the flour mixture into food processer and add the water your re Opel calls for through the tube and whirl until the dough forms a ball. Continue whirling for 12 go arounds. Take the dough out. Let it rest 3 min and flatten into crust.

Next time. Soups
Thanks for stopping by
Jane

Pork

As a child growing up, my mother never cooked pork. I have just started cooking pork in the last twenty years or so.

Whole pork loin is as cheap as 1.79--more often it goes on sale for 2. Half  loins  are better And more manageable, but whole ones can be shared with another family. Cut them up into pork roast and chops and freeze. Another cut of pork that goes on sale frequently is boneless ribs. those make good crockpot fare.

 I know that you can make pulled pork sandwiches with pork butt, but have never done it. Pork butt is frequently 1. A pound.


PORK CHOPS AND STUFFING

Make dressing
1) 3cups dried bread cubes
2) onion , celery , apple ( about half of a cup each)
3) 1/2 cup hot water or chicken broth
4) 1 T poultry seasoning

Mix together ingredients and place in greased baking pan. Top with pork chops. I brown the chops first. Salt and pepper. Bake at 325covered for 25 min, then uncover and bake another 30 minutes or until juices run clear and no longer pink.

I hope this comes out more like a recipe, this program wants to make one paragraph out of it.

Next time: Almost FREE pizza.

Thanks for stopping by
Jane

EGGS AND CHEESE

Let's talk about eggs and cheese

 Eggs periodically go on sale. They have a pretty far out pull date.

1) hard cooked eggs..lunch?
2) quiche
3) breakfast for dinner is a good save for dinner on the fly
4) Italian fritatta

You can have a pure vegetarian dimmer and sneak in the protein in the form of cream brûlée for desert.

CHEESE

1) Mac and cheese
2)pizza
3)beer cheese soup

I recently got eggs for a dollar a dozen limit four with a store coupon at safe ways check the math, qfc had eggs for 1.69 for 18. That was more expensive.

I never want to pay more than 2.50 a pound for cheese.if grated cheese is more, I grate my own. A food processor is a good investment and more than pays for itself over time. The cheese section is very sneaky. Check the math. Sometimes those little 8 oz bags of shredded cheese are a good buy, but often they are four dollars a pound. I can still find medium cheese in two pou d bricks for 5.00 or less. I stock up. It lasts a long time If left in it's packaging and you can freeze grated cheese. It is best if you freeze store bought grated cheese. It doesn t Clump. But homemade is still good for cheese sauce or Mac and cheese. Grocery outlet is a good source for cheese. Watch the pull dates, if you can use anything almost immediately, buy an  almost stale dated cheese ..check first for mold

Next: PORK

Thanks for stopping by

Jane

Let's talk chicken

CHICKEN

Whole chickens go on sale for less than a dollar a pound frequently. I only want to buy northwest grown chickens.  Lately I have found chicken breast for a dollar a pound. My rule is to pay less than 2.25 a pound for meat. Never buy a whole chicken unless it is more than 3 pounds. There is not enough ratio between bone and meat. I roast a chicken one day, and have chicken pot pie one day, and soup base to spare.

You can easily debone chicken and use it for the many recipes for boneless, skinless chicken breast that are out there.

ROAST CHICKEN

Wash chicken well with cold water. Clean out the cavity, rub the cavity with salt. Sometimes I stick lemon or orange slices under the skin. I always stuff the cavity With anything I can find around...onion quartered, lemon, apple, orange just for flavor. Rub outside of the skin with olive oil and put in a roasting pan In the oven at 350 for About twenty min per pound... 165 degrees or until the juices run clear.

Wash everything that has come in contact with raw meat Thorally.

Cooking and shopping for food on the cheap means that you cook from scratch. It doen't  mean that you can t cook fast....just smarter!

Thanks for dropping by.
 Jane

Sausage

To recap: we are developing recipes for low cost dinners that our family will eat.
SAUSAGE
Jimmy Dean sausage is 3 lbs for 6.13 at Costco. When  I get it home, I fry it, drain it well, and pour boiling water over it while it is still in the colander. This gets rid of a lot of the fat. Then divide it into six freezer bags. Label and freeze. When you are ready to cook, just take it out and bang it on the counter.
You can use it for Pizza, Quiche, Soup , Eggs and sausage.

8 ounces divided into four to six portions keeps the fat to a believable amount for a normal person.

Crockpot Sausage and bean soup

1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped carrot
1/4 cup chopped celery
2 16 oz can diced tomatoes
3 cans beans of choice. Black, kidney, white.
1quart vegetable stock or beef stock.
8 oz cooked sausage crumbles
2tbls Italian seasoning

Cook vegetables in olive oil Place veggies and remaining ingredients in crock pot and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours.

Thanks for stopping by

jane