No More Grocery Shopping

Honesty Part II - A First Step to Recovery

2012-01-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

Just after writing my last post, I found that the LDS churchhas adapted the original 12 Steps of AA to fit the framework of ourbeliefs. It is a beautiful program, andwhile I don’t mean to make light of people struggling in deeply addictivesituations, I have to say that even those of us stuck in less serious habitscan benefit from the principles of this program. Since grocery shopping is slightly lessweighty than drug addiction, I’ll lighten up the content to fit thistopic. Again, no intent to offend.

So, I already tackled the first step without even knowingit. I’ve borrowed from the words I foundon the LDS website and adapted my own here, too.

Step 1 - HONESTY. Admit that you, by your own power, are unable to overcome your bad habitand that your life is less manageable because of it.

I’m Mariah and I havea problem keeping track of how much money I spend, especially at the grocerystore, because I love food, and I love to feed people, and sometimes,convenience wins out over convention and at certain stores I can’t be trustedto leave without spending at least $100 (Costco). This has made my financial life lessmanageable than it otherwise would be. Honestly, even when I get my rebate from Costco each year, which is 2%of my annual purchases, I have spent it ten times over in my mind before I evenwalk into the store. And, when I comeout, I have far overspent my “free” money reward.

There you have it. Step 1. The other part of honestyis that when I have this public forum to be accountable to, I am more honestwith you all than I am with myself alone. So, by my own power I have not been able to overcome, but with divinehelp, and encouragement from friends, I am on my way to living a moremanageable abundant life. It is alreadyevident in my accounts.

Here’s a record of expenditures and meals for the last week:

1/2 - With a miracle ham, a hannukah feast (yes, Ijust said those two in order), the Sicilian fest my family threw, hosting afarewell for neighbors (which was potluck), and the annual Christmas Eve fingerfood party behind us I have ………...................................................................................................................$200

1/3 - Bountiful Baskets with extrabread, fruit and olive oil....................................................................$45

1/4 – Costco (I’m getting better)..........................................................................................................$35

1/6 – Shakey’s Pizza (they loaded usup with freebies because they were out of one thing we ordered. We came home with two boxes of food.)...…………………….........................................................……$30

1/9 – Smith’s Groceries………….......................................................................................................$30

1/10 – 10 days to go, this may be myhighest amount yet at this point....................................................$60

Monday 1/2 - Sandwiches

Tuesday 1/3 – Tacos

Wednesday 1 / 4 – Spaghetti carbonara and a red sauce

Thursday 1/5 – Egg rolls, rice, eda mame

Friday 1/6 – Shakey’s Pizza

Saturday 1/7 - Date night, kids fend for themselves

Sunday 1/8 – Pulled pork, rolls, goat cheese and spinachsalad, baked potatoes, carrots, olives

Honesty

2012-01-04T15:05:00.000-07:00

I put this video here so you could appreciate the chorus of this song and we could all reflect on the level of HONESTY we do, or do not, indulge in. I'm about ready to confess a few things, so I just wanted to prepare you.

I made it to December 15th with $20 left of our $300 budget that was meant to last until the 20th. The boys' birthday dinners were planned and I thought we were going to be fine. One wanted buffalo wings, the other asked for chicken cordon bleu. Then, we all split up on a Saturday to do some shopping and I sent half the troop to Costco. I did NOT say, "By the way, you only have $20 or you'll go out of bounds on our experiment." I just let them go, and $70 later the deed was done. Here's how the money went:

12/10 - With 10 days, and 2 birthday dinners to go..........................................$46
12/13 - Bountiful Baskets................................................................................$16
12/15 - Breads................................................................................................$10
12/16 - Birthday dinner purchases....................................................................$70
12/19 - Last day of Experiment Period 2..........................................................-$50

Then, the Christmas Holidays hit. I'm ashamed to admit that I let the whole experiment fly right out the window. No tracking, no budgeting, no care for how much we'd spent. Looking back it was about about $100 on extra food and specialty items spent between Dec. 24 and Dec. 31. I will say that we gave our treat jar away, and all the kids added extra money to it before we sealed it up. It was exciting and almost made up for the reckless abandon of birthday dinners and holiday purchases. Still, even though technically we lived on what we gave, by the letter of the law, we went over budget.

So, it's over and I'm sorry. I hope to not do it again. Failure is not defeat, unless I abandon the whole experiment. But I'm not sure what to do now. Should I -

Pick up where I left off and say, "We spent a $100 of our grocery budget in 5 days, now we only have $200 for the rest of the month," or,
Reset and say the Holidays were a freebie, we'll be better in the future and get back on track.

Let me know what you think. I really need some direction.

Homemade for the Holidays - Secret Treasure Book

2011-12-17T11:00:00.001-07:00

This is my favorite non-food, homemade-for-the-holidays gift idea this year. We love antique books at our house and have found some pretty cool looking books, that we don't necessarily want to read, at thrift stores. If you have a book lover, antique hound, or someone who likes to keep a stash hidden away, this is a thoughtful, fun gift you can make with very little equipment. Your most important tool for this project will be a sharp utility knife.

I'm not recreating the wheel here. So, follow the link below for detailed instructions. Thanks to the author of the Polish the Stars blog. She documented how to do this very well. Go check it out.

http://www.polishthestars.com/2010/11/secret-hollow-book.html

Homemade for the Holidays - Ricotta Cheese Anyone

2011-12-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

http://simplyrecipes.com/recipes/homemade_ricotta_cheese/

Last week I had a Christmas wish for a favorite treat from Italy. The dessert I planned included a hefty amount of ricotta cheese. Have you priced ricotta cheese lately? It's almost $8 for 32 oz. Well, for the price of a gallon of milk I can make ricotta that tastes better than anything I've ever bought in the store and is less than half the cost. Plus, it is SO easy. Here's how you do it:

Homemade Ricotta Cheese
I always use whole milk because everything I've read says this produces the best quality cheese. Please let me know in the comments if you do something else. Sometimes I also add a cup of heavy cream for a dessert cheese. This recipe is the perfect amount for a 9x13 pan of lasagna or stuffed shells, but it can easily be halved.

Ingredients
1 gallon whole milk
3 Tbsp + 1 tsp white vinegar
2 tsp salt

Instructions
1 In a large pot, over medium heat, bring the milk, vinegar, and salt to a near boil. Be patient, it takes about 30 minutes and looks like lots of steam and foam. If you want to use a thermometer, your looking for a temp around 180 degrees. Don't let the milk scorch or your ricotta will be ruined. Very gently boil for one to two minutes, until the milk is curdled.
2 Meanwhile, line a strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and set it over a deep bowl. Save your whey. Put it in a few freezer bags. I'll have some recipes for how to use that soon.
3 Pour the milk mixture into the strainer and let drain for 15 minutes. Gather the cheesecloth around the curds and squeeze gently to extract any excess liquid.
Makes 4 cups.

Use immediately for lasagna, pizza, salads, cannoli or any other Italian treat. Or, store in an air tight container in the refrigerator for several days.

Christmas Around the World

2011-12-11T15:00:00.005-07:00

http://soilnativity.webs.com/DSC02906.JPG

The other night we went to our neighborhood Christmas Around the World Party, and our assignment was to bring a favorite Christmastime treat from a country we have an affinity toward.

"We could bring a big plate of brats," my husband, Don, says enthusiastically, thinking of his favorite German sausages.

"What about some kind of pasta?" suggests one of the kids.

"We could bring a Chinese treat," the youngest proposes.

One daughter jumps right out of the Christmas "box". "I think we should make latkes. Sure they're for Hanukkah, but that's a huge part of our Christmas celebration. Right? I think we should talk about Hannukah for our Christmas Around the World moment. Who doesn't love fried food?" That last line is a famous saying in our house.

"How about a big bowl of fresh salsa or something from Egypt," I offer. Nothing from the peanut gallery on these ideas. They are all still thinking.

"Here's the thing guys," I add. "I have meetings all afternoon and time is a big factor. Whatever we decide on has to be made ahead of time and should taste good even if it's cold."

With those restrictions we are all temporarily stumped.

Well, our family claims MANY cultures in our genetic heritage, plus we have adopted customs and favorite foods of countries no one in our ancestry hales from. So, it's not easy to decide what to bring that would represent a FAVORITE dish for Christmas Around the World. And, of course we couldn't just bring a package of cookies from the Euro Import store, though I know the neighbors wouldn't have cared one wit, the kids wanted it to be something special.

"We gonna have a party?" Brennan, our oldest asked at just 18 months old. A party for him was any gathering larger than the three of us. And, as we added kids, we added traditions and any reason to celebrate is a party at our house. Aside from the typical American holidays, here are some of the customs we either observe every year, or have acknowledged in one way or another:

The German Winter Fest
Chinese New Year
St. Patrick's Day
Purim
Holi - Indian Festival of Colors
Passover
Cinco de Mayo
Midsummer's Eve
Pioneer Day
Ramadan
Constitution Day
Festival of India
The Feast of the Sacrifice
Saint Nicholas Day
Hanukkah

Maybe one day I'll actually write something about each of those instead of just ripping off a bunch of links from other people's web sites.

Now the SHOCKING news. With all this celebration of diversity in our home, I (not we) tend to come back to favorites where food is concerned. And, I have to say that of all the food in the world we love to fill up on, my favorite over-all, could eat it for every meal, every day of the week ethnic cuisines comes from one country. My family does not agree.

"So, if you guys had to pick a favorite cuisine, where would it come from?" I ask, thinking I know the answer.

"I don't like having to choose favorites," Brennan says blandly.

"Yeah, it's like a false choice. I think you're setting us up. Think of all the food we love. Mexican food is like everything you could ever want to eat, wrapped in a tortilla. Then there's Indian. And Asian, I love Asian food except the breakfasts, I never could do the fish gruel when I travelled to places like China and Korea." Don says.

"Besides, I think if you choose one at the expense of all the others, it would take all the joy out of that one." Such a philosophical teen this oldest boy of mine.

"Yeah, but if you had to choose," I press.

"I wouldn't because you just want me to choose Italian, and I love Italian, but not at the cost of letting everything else go."

"Fine, you guys keep your open minds and palettes. I'm not ashamed to name a favorite, hands down, no questions asked ethnic food." I answer.

Guess what I chose. Maybe I already gave it away, but go ahead, guess. Anyway, we made a brilliant dessert I've been dreaming of making for YEARS. Find out what it was next time I write.

This Week's Update - Charts and Graphs

2011-12-10T08:34:00.025-07:00

Things are CRAZY at my house, as I'm sure they are at yours. We have work, school, commuting to and from, home business, home school, school board meetings, lots to do at church, Christmas concerts, Christmas parties, Christmas plays, Christmas shopping, birthday parties, birthday dinners, birthday gifts to devise. Not a lot of down time. Almost no time for meal planning and prep. Still, we've chosen a pretty austere budget for groceries and we're sticking to it. This is what we've done since Friday last week.

Let's talk money first:

Maybe you'll remember, on 12/2 we were down to $101.
12/3 - Deli counter chicken parts for kids (popcorn chicken and chicken strips)- $8
12/6 - Dairy days at Costco - Milk, cheeses, cream, egg nog, chocolate milk - $47
12/10 - With 10 days, and 2 birthday dinners to go..........................................$46

The biggest spend this week was on dairy items at Costco. I am aghast at how the price of cheese has SKYROCKETED. At least it seems that way to me. In fact, I was so curious about just how much prices have risen, I went on a search for a chart. Here's what I found. Note these are wholesale prices:

http://future.aae.wisc.edu/data/monthly_values/by_area/816?area=WI&tab=prices&yoy=true

Needless to say, this chart is VERY disappointing to a family of cheese snobs. Even though this one only shows mozzerella, the picture is the same for every kind of cheese. So, I am now devising ways to economize our cheese consumption. More on that later.

Another thing I've been watching creep up and up is cereal. I've stopped buying it, to my family's somewhat chagrin. Here are some interesting charts, one about food in general, followed by one that shows what happened with sugar this year. Even though it's come down, it is still WAY higher than all f our other commodity prices.

http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsituation/wfs-home/foodpricesindex/en/

For time's sake, this has been a week of running the simplified menu plan. Soup, rice and sauces were a theme. Remember, breakfasts are always the same: hot chocolate and hot cereal or toast or eggs. And, lunches are fruit, nuts, yogurt and a treat. Here's what we ate for dinner:

This Week’s Menu
Friday – Cousins Night – Personal pizzas and sandwiches
Saturday – French Onion Soup (our first and very successful attempt)
Sunday – Turkey, Bacon Cheddar Soup (an awesome use for leftover turkey and stock)
Monday – Spinach Curry with Rice
Tuesday – Tacos with homemade salsa
Wednesday – Dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, Mom and Dad’s date night
Thursday – Fried Rice with Stir Fried Veggies

I hope to include some recipes later, especially for the soups and curry. The thing is, every recipe has a story and I get hung up on needing to tell it. So, if you want a certain recipe, pray that I have time to write it down and send me an email or comment.

Even though the fare was simple, and often prepared by younger hands than mine, it was delicious, nutritious and filling. I don't think the kids even realize we are still living our experiment. Maybe we need to talk about it some more.

Thanksgiving Leftovers - Part 2 - Croquette Anyone

2011-12-10T07:26:00.001-07:00

image credit: http://edwinahart.wordpress.com/2010/11/01/184/

I love the images of friends and family in idyllic settings, so couldn't resist this one. You may wonder what it has to do with Thanksgiving leftovers, and why I'm still sharing now that that we are closer to Christmas than Thanksgiving. Well, above, you see a striking young Victorian woman readying for her turn at a match of croquet. Here at my house, we are readying to make a batch of croquette - potato croquette that is.

image credit: foodnetwork.com

In our house fried food is a favorite this time of year. As if we need more fat and calories to wash down our holiday meals with. But, we are getting ready for Hanukkah and these little tasties are perfect practice for the latkes we will make.

Here's Paula Deen's recipe and instructions:

Potato Croquette
2 tablespoons milk
Salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped green onion
2 egg yolks, beaten
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups mashed potatoes
1 egg, beaten
Panko bread crumbs (or gluten free option see note below)
Veggie oil, enough to fill pan 1/2-inch

Directions

Add milk, salt, pepper, chopped onion, beaten egg yolks and flour to mashed potatoes. Chill and then shape using an ice cream scoop. Dip in the beaten egg, then roll through bread crumbs. Fry each croquette in shallow oil until brown on all sides.

Cook's Note: Cook in small batches, giving each croquette at least 2 inches of space around it to not overcrowd the pan. This prevents the croquettes from crumbling while frying. Also, try adding a couple of minced garlic cloves, cilantro or cheddar cheese for a different twist.

Gluten Free Note: To make these gluten free, follow all the instructions above, but put the croquettes in the freezer for 30 minutes before you dredge and fry them. This will keep them from falling apart in your pan. Use corn meal or gluten free "all purpose flour" instead of flour.

A Hundred and One Bucks of Fun

2011-12-02T16:51:00.000-07:00

11/21 - Beginning Total-    $300
11/21 - Costco -               $  67
11/23 - Grocery Stores -   $107
11/23 - Family Dining Out - $20
11/29 - Salsa and Sodas -     $5
12/2   -Mid-term Total -    $101

A Hundred and One Pounds of Fun, those were the days before I had four kids. Now, they'd have to rework the song and take all kinds of creative licence and artistic liberties to get a proper description of me out of it. But, I digress.

Here I am with two and a half weeks and three birthday parties to go before I can draw more funds and I have A Hundred and One Bucks of Fun left. However, for some reason, when I counted through my cash, I found I had $7 extra. I'm not sure why. Maybe I found it rolling around in the dryer, my kids aren't as careful as they should be. Or, it could have come from the Honey Bun the cash fairy who watches over a very special orchard of money trees. She might have left it. At any rate, I put it in the Treat Jar.

I want to tell you how meals have gone since Thanksgiving. It hasn't been great. We've had strep throat, board meeting, work Christmas parties and all kinds of other chaos going on.  The best dinner we had was for a daughter's birthday. Grandparents and Heba contributed Italian sausages and eclairs, brothers made sauces, sister made her first batch of brownies by herself.

I should clarify that I'm only going to list dinners because breakfast and lunch are pretty standard around here. Breakfast is usually whole grain toast (from the ghetto store where I pa a buck a loaf for it), hot chocolate (just add water but it is and a tasty mix I buy in bulk), and a piece of fruit (right now we have a big box of easy peel tangerines we're making our way through). Lunch at home is a sandwich, mac and cheese or ramen noodles, plus some sort of fruit of veggie. Lunch at school is yogurt or bagels (both from the ghetto), a home made treat, more fruit, a hand full of nuts, something savory like tortilla chips or dried flavored seaweed.

Friday: Straight Leftovers
Saturday - Homemade Personal Pizzas, sweet potato bread
Sunday - Sick kids - Turkey Tortilla Soup
Monday - Birthday Dinner - Spaghetti and penne pasta, marinara and Alfredo, garlic bread, salad, Italian sausage, soda, brownies, eclairs, ice cream!
Tuesday - Summer squash, hamburgers, french fries, salad
Wednesday - Thanksgiving leftovers again
Thursday - Fend for yourself - Mom and Dad on a date

So, I have a hundred and one bucks left for two and a half weeks. Should be okay, although I don't have a plan yet for the birthday parties and accompanying dinners. Also, I have two more birthday dinners to host between now and then. I plan to spend $30 on Bountiful Baskets to keep our steady stream of produce. I went looking for cold cereal this week and actually left the store and my basket of groceries behind when I pondered how much "real food" I could purchase for the sum I had planned to lay down for Puffy Pops or whatever the heck I was going to buy.

Weekends are the hardest times to conserve food funds. It's like we're addicts to eating out, picking up odds and ends at the market, stopping at the convenience store more than we should. Maybe there is a 12 step program for people like us.

Next up, my plan for the hundred and one.

Homemade Personal Pizzas

2011-12-01T15:25:00.001-07:00

photo credit:http://comfortbites.blogspot.com/2011_04_01_archive.html

The procedure I use for these creates several meals and makes having pizza super cheap and easy, just the way I like most things.

So, let's begin with the crust. You can make your own from scratch, but I generally don't.. I buy Rhodes frozen rolls and work with about a dozen at a time. If I thought ahead, I have them thawing on the counter. If not, you will be thrilled to know that it takes less that 20 seconds in the microwave to thaw one roll. So, if they are all frozen I thaw one, and put the next one in while I'm rolling the first out, and so on.

These make small 4 in pizza. If you use 2 rolls in one crust, you are more likely to get a 7-8 in. crust. I like the 4 in size for a few reasons:

You get a dozen little pizza crusts out of a dozen rolls
It's perfect for a lunch bag
If it's dinner time and someone wants more than one, they can choose a variety of toppings

Before I start rolling dough out I prep the oven. I line one full rack with foil and spray it with cooking spray. Then I set the oven to 500F. Once I've rolled 6-8 balls of dough into circles (they are more a collection of odd shapes than circles), I poke them 3-4 times with a fork and put them in the oven for about 2 minutes. Just long enough to cook the dough into a par-baked crust. I pull them out, still white, but not doughy and cool them on the counter.

If you are planning on making and eating all of these pizzas now, the previous step is unnecessary. Just top and bake at 500F for 4-5 minutes depending on how you like them done. Otherwise, cool your par-baked crusts (flip them once or twice to avoid moisture build up) and put them in a freezer bag to freeze and enjoy later.

When you are ready to use them, pull as many crusts as you need from the freezer, top and bake for 8-10 minutes on 500F. Keep an eye on them if you want them less done. These make SUPER easy lunches. When we have them for dinner everyone gets to choose their own toppings and everyone is happy.

Thanksgiving Leftovers - Part 1 - A Bone to Pick

2011-11-26T00:33:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: cooking-spree.com

One of my last posts was also about leftovers, a mostly failed attempt at incorporating the morning's oatmeal into a batch of cookies. When that didn't work I tuned the batter into muffins and that was the key to my success, trying something different. So, this year, if Grandma's leftover recipes aren't doing it for you, try something new. And no offense to Grandma, she's one of my favorite cooks.

After feeding fifteen of us this year, we have the usual suspects as leftovers; turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes. The thing is, right after Thanksgiving, I don't feel like doing lots of cooking, so all of these recipes must be low maintenance. Aside from the typical line-up of turkey sandwiches, turkey casserole, or just straight up reheating everything, here are some great recipes you can try. Some of them are great for my vegetarian friend, some will work for the gluten-free folks, all of them are great for stretching your holiday-week food budget.

Let's start at the top - Turkey

Note: If you're a vegetarian, you may want to skip this part, it's not pretty.

"Are you gonna throw those bones away?" my husband asks our hostess after enjoying a great dinner of broiled chicken and vegetables.

"Yeah, what else would I do with them?" she asked.

"Well, you make soup. You throw those bones into a pot and make chicken stock, then you can turn that into chicken and dumplings or anything you want."

"I'm not going to do that, but you're welcome to take them." He was amazed that she felt the effort to throw the chicken into a stock pot was more than it was worth. It seems to me we left that meal with a bag of bones in tow. Again, waste not, want not. It's coming to be a mantra around here.

Another note: I know this recipe looks super involved. It's really not.

Turkey Tortilla Soup
Part 1: Submerge and simmer in 2 quarts of water any "spare" parts you retrieved from the turkey before baking (neck, giblets)
Part 2: 1 leftover turkey, demeated (is that even a word?)
1 bunch celery, cut bottom off and throw stalks into the pot
2 large onions, halved but not peeled (the peel turns the soup a rich brown)
10 garlic cloves, don't bother peeling these either
2 Tbsp season salt or Mrs. Dash
salt and pepper to taste
Part 3: soup veggies and turkey meat
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can black beans (if desired)
Part 4: 3 cups cooked rice
fresh chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions - or use a can of seasoned tomatoes like Rotel
cilantro, avocados chopped and set aside
1 cup shredded cheese
1-2 cups crushed corn tortilla chips

Part 1 of this soup begins before the turkey even gets into the oven by removing the "extra" parts from the bird and putting them in a pot with all of the above ingredients (except the turkey bones and meat, obviously). I add about two quarts of water, bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for the day while the turkey is baking and the festivities are underway. If you don't do it that way, don't worry, just move on.

Part 2 After dinner is over and dishes are done we turn our attention to the turkey carcass and strip as much meat as we can from the thing. I know, sounds disgusting. It is serious hunter-gatherer work, and not for the faint of heart. When we've carved and pulled as much meat away as we can get, we bag it up for later use and put the whole pile of bones into a stock pot with the Part 1 items. Then we add a bunch of celery, some onions halved but not peeled, a handful of garlic, salt and pepper. We cover it all with water, set it on a high heat until it starts to boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for several hours. This part is super easy, no baby-sitting or watching the pot. Just let it do its thing. This can also be done the next day if it's late and you need to go to bed.

Part 3 Once your stock is ready, (at least 4 hours later) pour it through a strainer into a large bowl. With a fork, pull off any remaining meat you can get, and retrieve any garlic or onion pieces you may want (they should be out of their skins now). You should have LOTS of stock and could freeze half of it for later and use half for now. Once you've divided it up, pour your stock back into the pot (at least 6 cups) and add any chopped veggies (carrots, potatoes, anything else) you want, as well as the turkey meat, beans and spices. The veggies should only need 20 minutes on a medium boil to cook. When they are tender your soup is done.

Part 4 Serve soup piping hot in the following fashion - Lay down hot cooked rice on the bottom of a soup bowl. follow that with a sprinkle of cheese and a few generous ladles of soup. Now add all the fresh cut veggies and finally top with corn tortilla chips. This is NOT your Grandma's turkey soup. It's SO savory and tasty you will want to have it every time you have leftover poultry bones to grapple with.

Question: What do you do with your leftover turkey?
Tune in next time for potato croquettes, stuffing fritatta and sweet potato muffins.

Turkey Tortilla Soup

2011-11-23T15:11:00.000-07:00

Photo credit: cooking-spree.com

Turkey Tortilla Soup
Part 1: Submerge and simmer in 2 quarts of water any "spare" parts you retrieved from the turkey before baking (neck, giblets)

Part 2: 1 leftover turkey, demeated (is that even a word?)
1 bunch celery, cut bottom off and throw stalks into the pot
2 large onions, halved but not peeled (the peel turns the soup a rich brown)
10 garlic cloves, don't bother peeling these either
2 Tbsp season salt or Mrs. Dash
salt and pepper to taste

Part 3: soup veggies and turkey meat
1 tsp cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 can black beans (if desired)
Part 4: 3 cups cooked rice
fresh chopped tomatoes, peppers, onions - or use a can of seasoned tomatoes like Rotel
cilantro, avocados chopped and set aside
1 cup shredded cheese
1-2 cups crushed corn tortilla chips.

Part 1 of this soup begins before the turkey even gets into the oven by removing the "extra" parts from the bird and putting them in a pot with all of the above ingredients (except the turkey bones and meat, obviously). I add about two quarts of water, bring it to a boil and then let it simmer for the day while the turkey is baking and the festivities are underway. If you don't do it that way, don't worry, just move on.
Part 2 After dinner is over and dishes are done we turn our attention to the turkey carcass and strip as much meat as we can from the thing. I know, sounds disgusting. It is serious hunter-gatherer work, and not for the faint of heart. When we've carved and pulled as much meat away as we can get, we bag it up for later use and put the whole pile of bones into a stock pot with the Part 1 items. Then we add a bunch of celery, some onions halved but not peeled, a handful of garlic, salt and pepper. We cover it all with water, set it on a high heat until it starts to boil, then turn it down and let it simmer for several hours. This part is super easy, no baby-sitting or watching the pot. Just let it do its thing. This can also be done the next day if it's late and you need to go to bed.
Part 3 Once your stock is ready, (at least 4 hours later) pour it through a strainer into a large bowl. With a fork, pull off any remaining meat you can get, and retrieve any garlic or onion pieces you may want (they should be out of their skins now). You should have LOTS of stock and could freeze half of it for later and use half for now. Once you've divided it up, pour your stock back into the pot (at least 6 cups) and add any chopped veggies (carrots, potatoes, anything else) you want, as well as the turkey meat, beans and spices. The veggies should only need 20 minutes on a medium boil to cook. When they are tender your soup is done.
Part 4 Serve soup piping hot in the following fashion - Lay down hot cooked rice on the bottom of a soup bowl. follow that with a sprinkle of cheese and a few generous ladles of soup. Now add all the fresh cut veggies and finally top with corn tortilla chips. This is NOT your Grandma's turkey soup. It's SO savory and tasty you will want to have it every time you have leftover poultry bones to grapple with.

Why Giving Matters

2011-11-23T12:05:00.000-07:00

This is an article by a Catholic economist, sociologist and author Arthur C. Brooks that inspired me a couple of years ago. It is about why giving matters and I actually first saw it as a forum address at BYU. You can listen to the audio here while you are doing little Holiday chores today. I guarantee you'll be inspired. And, despite what everyone in the Occupy Movements may say, Americans are the biggest givers in the world, beating out the next closest prosperous, giving nation by a margin of more than 3 to one, even when those stats are corrected for income differences.

Here are some main points in brief:

Many of the most wealthy people who give, don't do it because they are wealthy. They are wealthy because they gave first.
Americans give more than the entire national income of Sweden.
75% of American families give every year
Utah is the most charitable state in the nation, a fact we are not "proud" of, because that would be wrong. But, we are pleased, right?
People who give to charity are 43% more likely to say they are happy than those who do not.
People who donate blood are 50% more likely to say they are happy.
Giving does not make people poorer, diminish resources or happen because it is a luxury of the rich.
The more government tries to step in to give to the poor and needy, the less people are inclined to help in those same causes.
Providing opportunities for giving to those around you is the highest form of giving.
Giving is a core competency of successful citizenship and a happy life. We need to think of creative ways to teach the importance of this principle.

Go read it or listen and feel grateful to be part of such an amazing movement.

Inventory

2011-11-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

In the spirit of full disclosure, in an effort to get organized, and in fulfillment of a promise I made, here is a cursory list of what I've got to work with beyond my cash allotment in a month. It's a lot. Here's how it fits into the "Live On What You Give" experiment.

We accumulated this stuff over many years, giving consistently all the time, living on it as we go, replenishing here and there. For years we've given to the level that we gathered food storage. All that food is not just for us, we share all along the way. Now, we are going for a new level of giving and setting our cash for food at the same amount as the cash we give to meet the needs of people around us. And, because of the habits we established to this point we can.

So, to be clear, this experiment isn't about how little cash we can live on with nothing else. It's about living on the same amount of cash we are willing to give away. Anyway, we've always been happy to share all this food, however, my big "little" brother often reminds me of the need for firearms to protect our stash. The thing is, food is fleeting and guns are part of a different type of experiment altogether.

Freezer
1 turkey
2 roasts
15 lbs. boneless skinless chicken
15 lbs frozen veggies
5 lbs. french fries
3 lbs. onion rings
3 pastry crusts
2 doz frozen cookies
several ready-made main dishes like eggrolls, taquitos and burritos

Pantry and Cold Storage
year supply of dry milk, flour, beans, rice, sugar, oats, wheat, potato pearls, dried spinach
20 lbs pasta ( I always feel more secure when I have closer to 100 lbs., so I'm running low)
2 doz cans pasta sauce (waiting to be doctored up)
4 doz cans broth
4 doz cans tomato sauce
Lots and lots of spices
20 lbs salt
40 lbs Steven's hot chocolate mix
2 lbs Powdered Parmesan
1 doz cans of meat (I know, sounds delicious, huh)
1 doz #10 cans of various dried veggies
1/2 doz cans dried fruits
45 lbs. barley
45 lbs. popcorn
20 lbs. banana chips
6 gallons juice
4 gallons vinegar
3 gallons oil
4 doz cans corn and beans
2 doz cans chili

Fridge and Garage Storage (also known as the second fridge in the fall and winter)
25 pounds fresh produce
3 gallons milk
1 gallon egg nog
10 lbs. assorted cheeses
2 lbs sour cream
3 lbs cream cheese
4 dozen eggs
More sauces and condiments than I can count

What is in your food storage?

Day 2 - Lots-O-Leftovers

2011-11-22T23:48:00.000-07:00

With Thanksgiving fast approaching, the need to be in too many places at once, and the desire to clear out the fridge, I've decided that low-prep leftovers are in order all week, except for the big day itself.

I'm proud to post that the roast I made Sunday actually made it through three meals, just like the olden days when we had much smaller children. Of course, Bren has been gone doing a big musical production at school and Caleb has a touch of the stomach flu, so I know it's not a fair comparison to what we usually do. Still, here's what the dinner menu looks like so far:

the first day we ate a roast - with carrots, potatoes and onions
yesterday it was shredded beef tacos - with cheese, sour cream and spinach salsa
tonight we had cajun beef stew over rice - with the broth and veggies I had set aside from Sunday.

And, each dish was different enough that no one even balked at leftovers. Yay!

Morning Madness and Leftover Oatmeal

2011-11-22T23:37:00.000-07:00

Mornings at my house have such great potential. I get up before everyone, make a hot breakfast, wake everyone, and wait....Some days it's an idyllic scene. All the kids and their Dad show up in their jammies, or ready for the day, blankets in tow. The fire is going, hot chocolate is served in little cups with lids and straws to prevent the sleepy spills that are inevitable when 4 out of 6 of us are drinking with our eyes closed. Usually there's also eggs, breakfast potatoes, hot cereal, toast or fruit (ONE of the above). We pray, read a few verses of scripture, the biggest of the kids leaves. All is right at the dawn of the day.

Then there are days like today, when madness is more a reference to my frustration than to the chaos of getting four kids and a husband out the door in the morning.

"Brennan, you are going to miss the bus. Breakfast is getting cold and EVERYONE is waiting for you."
I shout through the bathroom door for the third time.

"Well, for some reason, my alarm didn't go off," he answers back. I won't go into the details of the rest of the conversation. He makes it down in time for a quick nod to heaven and dashes out the door. "Sorry, Mom. No time for breakfast. Love you guys." Slam. I don't think he meant that as an insult.

Now I'm left with two sleeping kids and three of us eating the steel cut oats that took 40 minutes to prepare. There's a trick to it, and they are hardy, but not hard to make, you just have to watch your heat or they will boil over, no matter how big your pan. I think there is a life metaphor there. Anyway, I'll give details on that business in a separate post. Needless to say, with one of our biggest eater gone, there were lots of leftovers.

Google what to do with leftover oatmeal and one of the first recipes you come to is for Leftover Oatmeal Cookies. I made these. They were not great. When I tasted them what I thought was this, "These poor little ugly cookies really just want to be muffins." So, I add some extra sugar, a little more cinnamon, vanilla and a cup of milk to my remaining batter and pour it into muffin tins. They turned out delicious. How do I know? Because when Bren tried them he said, "Mm."

Here are some other reactions, "Can I have another one, Mom?" Caleb asked.

"Yeah, go for it."

Four bites later, "Can I have another one?" he asks again.

"Last one for now," I say.

When the girls are eating I ask, "So, Hannah, you like those muffins?"

"Yes, can I have another one?"

"Uh huh. How about you KC, are they good?" I ask.

"Yeah, they're so good," she says, then with a slightly suspicious tone. "Why?"

"Because I made them with leftover oatmeal from this morning. What do you think."

"I think you shouldn't tell anyone that until after they've tried them, cause that's just disgusting to think about."

"Can I quote you on that?"

"Yes, as long as you get it right."

I hope I did. When Don came home he saw the cookies first.

"What are these?" he asked picking one up.

"Those are not as good as the muffins."

He disregarded what I said thinking I was being modest or picky. He took a big bite and said, "Your crazy. These are great. I'm glad you guys don't like them because I'm going to eat all the rest of these."

He never even made it to the muffins.

So, here's the recipe on both items, in case you want to try them. This is as best as I can record it, considering I used a third of the batter to make yucky (in my opinion) cookies.

Leftover Oatmeal Cookies
2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. cooked steel cut oats

Sift dry ingredients together. Add butter, sugar and eggs and beat until creamy (about 2 minutes). Stir in oatmeal. Drop from teaspoon onto greased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 10minutes.
Yield: 4 dozen.

Leftover Oatmeal Muffins
2 c. sifted flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. butter
2 eggs
1 c. milk
1 1/2 c. cooked steel cut oats

Sift dry ingredients together. Add butter, sugar and eggs and beat until creamy (about 2 minutes). Stir in oatmeal. Drop from teaspoon onto greased baking sheets.

Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15minutes.
Yield: 2 Dozen +

Month 2 - Day 1

2011-11-21T21:58:00.000-07:00

Today I took our cash out of the bank, $250. I left $50 in the bank to cover our Bountiful Baskets for the next month. I went to Costco and raided the dairy shelves. I like to call that place the Hundred Dollar Store, as in the antithesis to the Dollar Store, because it's tough to get out of there without giving up at least a hundred dollars. Thankfully, today, I did it for $67.

So, now I have $183 in cash, and a lot of food in my house. Saturday's $15 Basket o' Bounty provided us with about 15 lbs of fresh produce. Add to that a well stocked pantry and a freezer full of food and you won't be worried about us this Holiday Season.

Tonight's dinner was simple and delicious. We ate red meat two days in a row, which rarely happens for two reasons:

We don't generally have red meat in the house because it is more expensive and less healthy than other meats, and
When we do have it, we tend to eat it ALL gone in one meal.

However, when I went to donate blood last week I was DENIED because my hemoglobin was low. Because I want to try again tomorrow, the phlebotomist recommended red meat, spinach and a few other key foods to beef up my red blood cell count. Thankfully, I happened to have a large roast in the freezer. And, yesterday I was smart about stretching the meal.

I'm sure lots of you have already stumbled upon the concept of portioning out certain foods before you bring it to the table, but I hadn't. Plus, we have company almost every Sunday and we generally eat most of what is prepared. But, as I was looking at this big piece of meat, and knowing it was just the six of us, it occurred to me that if I filled one serving plate, and put the rest aside, no one would really notice. When I brought the plate to the table, no one did notice and everyone ate their fill. I even had a little left over on the plate to add to the other I had set aside.

So, tonight's meal was shredded beef tacos with fresh spinach salsa. Take that Mr. Blood Draw Man. I better pass that darn hemoglobin test tomorrow or it's going to really make me mad.

Here's the recipe on the salsa. I figure everyone who wants to know already knows how to make a roast in a crock pot, and if not, there are entire websites devoted to that sort of advice so I'll spare all my vegetarian friends the gory details about that. Here's a feel-good veggie recipe instead. Also, in the winter when tomatoes from the store taste disgusting, I omit them and use spinach as the main bulk in this salsa.

Fresh Spinach Salsa

1/2 medium onion, finely diced
3 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 jalepeno, finely diced
2 large handfuls spinach, finely chopped
2 Tbs. lime juice
1 tsp salt

Count Your Blessings

2011-11-20T16:57:00.001-07:00

It’s the Sabbath and all is quiet in my house. My husband, Don, is long gone for a full day of service and all the kids are still peacefully sleeping in their beds. I have one hour to write. At the very beginning of this round of experimentation, one friend commented that he knew this plan would “change our lives.” Well, I have to say honestly, that I am a pretty stubborn soul, and real change is hard for me. So, I’m still waiting to see the life-changing impact in myself. But, we did it. This month we lived on what we gave, and there are a number of small and simple blessings, as well as major interventions, which I count as miracles as a direct result of our experiment, especially the last one on the list to follow. Here are highlights from my list:

A Ride – Don has a degenerative eye disease. He is legally blind, and seven years ago he lost his drivers license because of it. Since then, we have witnessed many miracles relating specifically to transportation. Don’t get me wrong. Aside from driving a car, he is probably one of the most mobile and independent blind guys you’ll ever meet. He rides miles and miles on his bike, runs marathons and is more athletic than most men I know. He just can’t drive. This August he began a new job, far away. He had a ride to work from the beginning, but coming home was another story. Most days Bren and I would go get him. Bren’s 15, driving on a permit, and thrilled to be on the road. I, however, always felt torn between getting my husband home and meeting all the afterschool and early evening needs of the kids. The drive was beautiful but took at least an hour and a half round trip. The day we began this experiment, the very day we agreed to take it on, a new ride presented itself and he now enjoys door-to-door service to and from work. I am SO grateful for co-workers who care and I hope the extra gas money blesses them as much as the ride blesses us.

A Flat Tire in the Driveway – After a weekend of camping as a family in the middle of nowhere, Don and I got up early to go to a mountain resort where he had to give a presentation. Thankfully, we were up and out the door 20 minutes earlier than we needed to be. As I pulled out of the drive we could feel that something wasn’t right. I turned around and pulled back in to find a flat tire. The miracle is that I had driven an easy fifty miles back and forth down a deserted dirt road over the weekend and this flat waited for our car to be in our driveway before it gave us any problems.

Don was anxious to get up the mountain to his presentation, “Well, maybe it’s time for you to learn to drive Bren’s car.”

Alarm arose in me, “Are you serious? I know I need to learn to drive a stick, but I promise you, now is not the time. We will not get there.”
He was serious, “Mariah, you can do it.”
I held fast, “I know I can, but not now. You cannot miss this presentation because your wife could not pull it together under the pressure of a manual transmission and a deadline. Please, let’s change the tire. We have plenty of time.”

Not waiting for his response, I said a quick prayer, jumped out of the driver’s seat, opened the back and went for the spare tire. He took his jacket off, got the jack and went to work. In heals and a skirt I brought him the spare, on his knees in his suit he put it in place. In under twenty minutes we had the job done. We said a prayer of thanks and enjoyed a beautiful fall drive up the canyon. He walked in to his convention just as they were getting ready to announce him.

Sickness and Health – This month several sicknesses have come and gone through our house. And, while we have good medical coverage, we hate to go to the doctor. Between waiting to be seen, paying co-pays and filling prescriptions, the whole undertaking cn be quite costly, even with decent insurance. No one had to go to the doctor and, though some sicknesses lingered longer than I prefer, everyone is well and whole again.

Gifts from Grandma’s Farm – One day we came home to find a freezer basket full of ground venison (when it’s ground, you mix it with a little beef and it is great in tacos, marinara sauce, chili and other highly seasoned dishes). Grandma and Grandpa had also brought a box full of potatoes, apples and onions.

Gifts from Heba – Our honorary Egyptian family member shares so much with us. From recipes to her favorite foods from Costco, she has helped a lot. She is amazed by the abundance we enjoy in the US and wants to partake of it all. She gets antsy if we have fewer than four gallons of milk or five dozen eggs in the fridge. I am overwhelmed by her generosity and her desire to always see the fridge full of the right stuff.

Inspiration - I’ve had several small epiphanies on how to keep my family close this season when we are all going so many disparate directions. I'll elaborate on them all another time if anyone is interested. They are:

The Thankful Things Jar
Meal Time Helpers
Candle Time
Short and Sweet Traditions

I came from a home rich with weekly and seasonal family tradition. I married into a family where tradition isn’t in the details of WHAT we do when we get together, their tradition is just BEING together. So, in this home I’ve made with my husband, I often feel like the primary guardian of all things sentimental. What can I say, left to my own foolish machinations I overly-romanticize scenes of hearth and home and am inclined to perpetuate them whenever possible. And, it’s not that Don isn’t supportive and creative when it comes to making family memories, he absolutely is. But this year, I’m thrilled to watch my older daughter jump on the Nostalgia BandWagon with me, drink deep from a cup of cheer and catch the sap before it starts pouring to thick. She’s my new check for overdoing it.

I count it a rich blessing to have another someone to share the work and fun of family traditions with. KC made a goal this season to spend ten hours in the kitchen with me learning the ins and outs of bringing holiday, and everyday, meals to the table. From menu planning, budgeting, shopping, and preparation she plans to be my partner in the high and holy work of nourishing our family at the dinner table. Wahoo! I told you I was going to get sappy.

Grateful Girls and Boys – On Hannah’s birthday, after all the gifts were given, cupcakes were devoured and everyone was in bed for the night, I found a note from Hannah on my bed. It summarized her grateful feelings of the day:
“To My Family. I am so glad to be in this family. I love you. Love – Hannah.”

This from the girl of great expectations that can rarely be met to the level of her dreams or fully realized as she imagined them. For her, this token of gratitude was huge. No wishes that things had been different, no talk of what she wanted and didn’t receive, no mention of anything lacking. Her note epitomizes the spirit in my house, among all of us this month and I am grateful for that feeling above all else.

End of Round One

2011-11-19T23:53:00.001-07:00

Okay, we are at the end of round one. I draw new fund out on Monday. It's Saturday night and we have $8.50 left. No shopping on Sunday. As a family, we went one month on $291.50. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities a family our size can get up to $952/month in food support if their need is sufficient. I think the government has different priorities than we do. After reading this article about living on a food-stamp budget, I actually feel REALLY great. The author of that experiment was living on $44/week. Another blogger spent $15 week. We did it on $12.50/week per person. That feels like an accomplishment.

Several people have asked me if we are doing this of necessity, and the answer is tricky. No, we are not cash strapped to the point that we can't spend beyond $300 a month on groceries. But, yes, we are determined to accomplish a few significant goals that make this sort of self-imposed squeeze necessary. They are -

Feed another family on the funds we spend for food each month
Show ourselves and our kids that it can be done
Get out of debt

I've learned a few little lessons with this experiment so far. They are:

Food storage is key - some might say this actually inflates the numbers I'm working with, but I would argue that. Most of the food in my cold storage was purchased at least a year ago with only periodic replenishment. Plus, I say we've got three Boy Scouts and three clever girls in this house and "Be Prepared" is one of our most important mottos.
There are lots of ways to make preparation of "slow foods"quicker and easier. Cutting and freezing onions, making soups and sauces ahead of time and freezing or refrigerating them, and having pastry and pizza crusts ready to go and in the freezer until we need them slashes prep time significantly.
Staying out of the store is key – This week, at the end of my self-imposed limit of funds I have had several hankerings to go to the store, “just to get a few things.” Most of the things I wanted were dairy/fat foods; heavy cream, sour cream, cream cheese, mayo, to name a few. I’m not sure about the theme. I don’t think I was feeling super deprived, I just ran out of all of my favorite fats at the same time. However, I knew going in for a even those few items would probably push me over my limit, and once I was ten bucks over, why stop there? I’m like an addict, so staying away was my best strategy in the end.

A few things I hope to do better next month are:

Keep more accurate track – day to day – of exactly what money I’m spending, where and when, so we can all follow the funds from the cash envelope to the table.
Master the menu – show the range of cuisine we consume beyond the predictable beans, rice and pasta.
Record recipes – Right now I have two kids working on goals that center on improving their skills in the kitchen. It’s sad for them that their mom relies more on intuition than written recipes. I intend to record and share more recipes this month.

Anything else you’d like me to show better? Leave a comment here or on facebook. Tomorrow I’ll post the blessings that have come this month from attempting this experiment.

Sizzling Summer Squash

2011-11-16T07:58:00.000-07:00

This recipe is brought to you by my first experience with Bountiful Baskets and a long-standing request for more ideas on how to use powdered parmesan in recipes.

Of course, we have to begin with back story. I have to say, that when it comes to parmesan, romano and other hard Italian cheeses, some people might call us snobs. I prefer connoisseurs. Or, you could call us purists. Snob just sounds so harsh.

A few years ago, we hosted a cooking class in our home and taught a crowd of women how to make pasta from scratch with several sauces besides. Brennan, our oldest, is a local legend for his famous alfredo, in which he uses heavy cream, butter and the best pecorino romano we can get - from Costco. When one of our guests asked him, "So, can we just use something like powdered parmesan?" He wrinkled his nose, shook his head and said, "Why would you use that when a hunk of pecorino romano is the same price and it tastes WAY better.”

I think he was 12 at the time. And, he was right. Costco and other specialty stores have great prices on fresh hard cheeses. Additionally, hard cheeses still in their wedge last a LONG time in the fridge. But, not everyone can get to Costco, or wants to grate their own every time they need it. And, sometimes all you may have on hand is powdered parmesan. Well, no shame in that, and actually, there is a lot you can do with it. So, stick with me and I’ll give you a great recipe you’ll want to try as soon as you can.

On Saturday we got our first Basket o’ Bounty (see the link if you are still wondering what this is) and it was full of great stuff for $15. On the veggie side we got potatoes, onions, celery, yams and summer squash. For fruits we got a little gem case of huge blackberries, 5 kiwi, a bag of apples, 2 pounds of grapes, 2 persimmons (I don’t know what to do with those yet), 4 grapefruit and a bunch of bananas. It was all in good shape.

The summer squash was the one thing I thought my kids might be picky about. I decided if I cooked it right, they’d love it. As I pondered what “cooking it right” would look like for them I thought about the grilled veggies we’ve enjoyed at a local Brazilian grill. I fired up the barbecue, tossed the squash in a mixture of olive oil, minced garlic, powdered parmesan, salt and pepper.

It was a huge hit. They came off the grill sizzling with savory crumbs of cheese crusted to them. When I brought them to the table, this is what happened:

“You guys are gonna love these. They turned out so good. They are spicy and salty and the cheese makes an awesome coating.” I serve them all a few.

First Heba, our honorary family member from Egypt says, “Perfect. They are perfect.” I’m always pleased when Heba likes something because she’s an excellent cook and her opinion is highly valued.

Next, my husband, Don, “These are so delicious. It’s like eating a piece of meat. How did you do that?”

KC responds, “Well, it’s ‘cause she grilled it on our grill and we have so many charred meat remnants on it, of course it tastes like meat.” I shoot her a quick look, because the last thing I want is for Heba, an observant Muslim, to worry about is what kind of meat may be contaminating our veggies. That would NOT be Halal,
Heba only eats meat that is slaughtered and prayed over in a certain way.

Don picks up on my concern right away, “No, I scrub that thing off after every time we use it. There are no meat bits on these.” Nice save, partner. And the gospel truth.

Caleb, however, is inspired by the “meat” theme, and takes it to a new level “Yeah, these taste like you could make an awesome burger out of them.”

Brennan is out late acting as assistant stage manager on a big production at his school. When I pick him up, I have a warm plate of food in the car with me. He unwraps it and wordlessly devours the entire meal. When he is done he says, “Thanks, Mom. That was really good.” He usually has more to say about his food, but it was 11pm, he’s been up since 5:45am hasn’t eaten since lunch, so I take it as a high compliment.

The littlest among us takes one look and says. “I am not eating that. Please pass the rice.” She missed out.

Sizzling Summer Squash
2 medium summer squash, cut in ½ inch coins
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons powdered parmesan
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Toss together in a large bowl. Place on a plate and be sure the parmesan coating is even on both sides of the squash. Grill over medium-high heat until golden all around, maybe 5-7 minutes per side. Keep an eye on them.

Grocery Shopping the Ghetto

2011-11-14T22:38:00.001-07:00

A good friend of mine recently presented me with an offer I couldn’t refuse. She had inside information on an amazing discount grocery store in Salt Lake, and in the spirit of sharing, took me with her on a tour of the place.

“Have you ever been to NPS?” she asked. “It’s my yogurt super store.”

“No. I’ve never even heard of it.”

“What? We’ve got to go there.” She was clearly, and deservedly, excited to be the source of information on a vital new hotspot for my grocery shopping adventures. “How much money do you have?” was her follow up question.

I fessed up about the newly separated black and white of my finances, “Fifty bucks as soon as I return my unopened food processor. I was going to do that today because I need a few things. When do you wanna go?”

We haggled over our schedules and then discovered that there is no time like the present, so we got in my car and headed out. Costco actually gave me $55 for my returned merchandise and I was good to go. We drove the 25 miles or so to get to this super store and I felt like I was in familiar territory.

A number of years ago we mentored a family of refugees from Somalia. Their first apartment in the states was located in the neighborhood where we ended up. Also, the Arabic store that sells Halal meats is just down the road, and I’ve been there a few times since Heba has come to stay with us. If I didn’t know the area I may have been a little concerned, at first glance you might put it on the ghetto end of the economic development spectrum.

“I feel bad bringing you here when you have such limited funds,” she said.

“I’ll be fine. I’ll just keep close track and we’ll leave before I hit my limit.” I’m not worried, I thought smugly, I know how to add.

We pulled in, got out, and went in. Our first stop was in the Dollar Clearance section of the store. We both found a killer deal on gift items that I will not go into further detail until after the holidays, but suffice it to say, we got some crazy vintage stuff for $1. Unbelievable.

Then we went to the grocery clearance section where I got salad dressing, barbeque sauce and spice packets all for under 20 cents apiece. The prices of these items were slashed because they were past their expiration date, but I’m the queen of maximizing the longevity of a “best by” date and was undaunted.

Next we found bottles of imported balsamic vinegar for 69 cents. Um, does vinegar go bad? No. I got individual Greek yogurts 4 for a dollar. Three pounds of onion rings for $1.50, five pounds of French fries for $2.50, thirty-six white bread dough rolls for $2.50. It was amazing. I bought a case of 30 cheddar popcorn snack bags for our play practice contribution to the treat tote. Those were 10 cents each. Roma tomatoes in perfectly good condition were 49 cents a pound. My favorite find, only because I’d been thinking of it just that morning, were the mega-mix-packs of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing that make a gallon of dressing each. 79 cents is what I paid for those babies, I got 4 of them.

After I found some dollar cereals and dollar loaves of bread and 69 cent specialty cheese spreads, my ability to add got all muddled and alarms started going off in my head.

“Hey, let’s go,” I said abruptly as we were perusing the frozen bakery section, full of all sorts of pre-made, deeply discounted bakery delights. There were frozen, unfrosted sheet cakes in all varieties. Cupcakes and cake pops, pies, cream puffs and innumerable other dainties. “I think I met my max,” I said as I felt my head swim with the effort of trying to keep track of all that I put in my cart.

“So, did you just hit $50?” she asked?

“Yeah, I think so. I think we’d just better go.”

I walked to the cashier with some trepidation and unloaded my cart onto the conveyor belt. I held back my most expensive items (which were $2.50) to the last. But, it was in vain. All in all, I got out of there with a basket full of groceries and some fun gift items for $30. I still had 25 bucks in my pocket. It was awesome. Thank you, Carolyn, for a great adventure and grocery blessings.

A New Family Favorite - Sabanekh

2011-11-12T20:02:00.002-07:00

Photo from: http://theactorsdiet.wordpress.com/2011/05/05/ahhhh/

Our Sabanekh turns out just a bit more red/brown than this.

People have asked what we are eating on this here experiment of ours, wondering if rice and beans are our main staples, or maybe ramen noodles. Well, actually, I have a recipe that incorporates some of those elements, but is far from the "poor people food" we're used to. See what you think and I promise, next month, to give a better play-by-play of each meal.

Today KC and I made a big pot of Egyptian Spinach Sauce, a hearty, new family favorite. This is a recipe we learned from our favorite resident Egyptian, Heba. She's living with us for the school year and teaches Arabic at our school. I was introduced to this dish a few days after she moved in. It was our first real culinary expedition together, and it ended so beautifully, my whole family frequently requests this awesome one dish wonder.

"Heba, do you know any recipes for spinach?" I asked as I peered in shame at the bunch of spinach in the fridge on the brink of going bad. I felt ashamed because, since Heba moved in, I realize how much food we still waste, even though we try to be diligent and careful. Egyptians waste nothing.

"Yes. I have one." She reported. Then she got a gleam in her eye, "It is called Sabanekh and I think you will like it." Just so you know, Sabanekh is easy for her to say, but not me.

I had made several of our favorites for Heba previous to this, and she had gotten to know the spices and variety we enjoy in our cooking, but this was her first time to show me something new and she was excited.

"It's very quick and I think you have everything. You have tomato paste?" she asked.

"Yes."

"You have vegetarian soup stuff, what is this called? The water from the soup?" she mimes ladeling broth from a bowl of soup and bringing it to her lips.

"You mean broth?"

"Yes, broth."

"The only vegetarian soup stuff I have is some seasoning packets from ramen. Will that work?" Everything we make together starts out vegetarian because all of her meat has to be Halal, which is a Muslim form of Kosher. Heba eats plenty of meat, but it has all been slaughtered in a specific way, prayed over and purchased in a Halal market.

"Yes, that will work."

Heba smiled and went to work, so excited to bring us one of the great Egyptian comfort dishes. It takes about an hour, tops, to prepare, and truly it is the soul food of Pharaohs.

Sabanekh – Egyptian Spinach and Rice

This recipe comes is borrowed from egyptianfoods.org, with some adaptations.

Ingredients
1 bunch fresh spinach (cut into small strips)
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped fine
2-3 bouillon cubes (or ramen packets)
3 tablespoon tomato paste
1 T coriander
1 T cumin
1/2 tsp. hot chili powder (cayenne is great)
3 cups water
salt
pepper

Directions

Wash spinach well and cut into small sized strips. I usually take a few leaves, and slice them together into strips, leave the stem, not problem. (This technique is called a chiffonade. It does not have to be perfect, you just want to get them into longer, smaller strips.) Set aside.

In a large pot or stirfry pan add chopped onion, garlic and butter and sauté until soft.

Add spinach, tomato paste, bouillon, spices, and stir around until well coated. This is actually such a rich sauce that you can hide all kinds of pureed veggies in it, I espescially like carrots and zucchini.

Add 2-3 cups of broth. (You can add or decrease broth, depending on how thick you’d like it to be, check while cooking and add more or less broth. End result should be thick, but watery enough to be like a thick sauce — hope that makes sense.).

Bring to a boil, and simmer for 20- 30 minutes on low heat.

Serve next to (or on top of) rice or browned fideo noodles and with pita bread for scooping.

Treat Jar

2011-11-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

It was the end of the afternoon on Wednesday, the kids and I shared a snack in the living room and talked about our current state of affairs.
“So, we used our last three dollars of the grocery money I set aside for the month. We spent it on our pop yesterday afternoon.”

“Well, thank goodness for the treat jar.” Brennan, the oldest, says. “We probably have at least twenty bucks in there.”

“And, with the new system of putting money in the jar when we don’t do what you asked us to do, when you asked us to do it, is going to add A LOT.” This comes from Caleb the ten year old.

“I hope not. You guys are never just disobedient by telling us ‘No, I won’t do that,’ but I hope you can get better at not blowing us off so much when we have to ask you multiple times to do something.”

“I had to put a quarter in yesterday,” says Hannah, the youngest. “I waited until the second time you asked me to come to the table and I had to pay.”

“The thing is, guys, we’re almost always willing to negotiate, ‘just another minute while I finish what I’m doing,’ but you all have gotten to where we don’t even have that conversation, you just wait until you are ready, rather than coming when I ask you.”

“Yeah, I had to give $2 on Monday, $1.25 to the jar yesterday, and I haven't put any in today. I think Monday was an all time high.”

“Well, considering it’s costing you a quarter for each time you don’t respond when you’re asked to do something, it does seem pretty high, but you are getting better.”

“True, but that day you were standing over me, ‘KC, please do your chore. Oh, you didn’t get up, that’s 25 cents."

"Yeah and you just laid there on the couch."

" 'KC, you need to do your chore. Oh, you're still laying there. Okay, now it’s 50 cents.’ "

"And you were laughing like it was a funny joke, but you still didn't get up."

"You got all the way up to a dollar before I got to it.” She’s right, I stood there like a taxi ticker, hiking up the price every time I had to ask her. I don’t generally set my kids up to fail, but this has been an interesting new plan, and it has gotten quick results.

“Anyway, even today has been better than yesterday for all of you. Do you think it’s in keeping with the spirit of our experiment to use that money for whatever we need in order to get by until the end of the month? “ I ask.

Brennan gives an emphatic, “Yes! Don’t you always tell us about when you guys were broke and you’d go searching for change so you could buy a diet Coke?”

“True,” I said.

KC turns the conversation. “And, did you match what we gave, too?”

“No. But I think I might.”

“I think you should. It’s not a ton of money, but even ten or fifteen bucks will go a long way at this point, right. Especially if we mostly just need milk and stuff. Plus, did you take that food processor back?”

“Not yet, but what do you think?”

“What are you going to get for it?” Brennan asks.

“Something around fifty dollars.”

“Fifty dollars! Take it back. We’ll be fine. We can totally make it 10 days on fifty dollars.”

I love these kids. All the little gray areas I was grappling with separated quickly into black and white at their counsel. Good enough for me.

Cheating

2011-11-08T04:15:00.001-07:00

So, I spent my last $3 cash after school yesterday. I bought a 32 oz. caffeine free Diet Coke for me and a 44 oz. Dr. Pepper for the kids to share. Those purchases weren't food, strictly speaking, but I used my grocery money anyway. I know it wasn't the best use of 3 bucks, but Monday's can be rough and we really needed the boost.
I still have 2 weeks to go and there are a few factors I'm considering as I rifle through my wallet, all but empty except for a bunch of receipts showing me the paper trail of where I've been. I think I may be breaching the integrity of my experiment, but I'd love to know what you think.

Maybe I should take the kids up on their offer and match to our grocery budget what they gave to charity this month. That would give me another $15.
The jar of cash and change that gets collected from the laundry and other instances where kids owe me because they are late could support our soda habit for the duration.
A couple of weeks ago I bought a really nice food processor from Costco. My old one, that I got 14 years ago died after a long useful life, an I figured the new purchase would help me a lot in my food prep. However, I got it home, started this experiment and never took it out of the box. Somewhere in the back of my mind I kept thinking I might need the 50 bucks. It's a bute and I hate to take it back, but if I do and I get the $50 to use on groceries, is that cheating?

Let me know what you think. In the mean time, I'm grateful to report that I left $30 of grocery money in the bank so I could start the Bountiful Baskets program online, and I should get my first basket on Saturday. I'm so excited. Also, I'm going to take inventory of what we have on hand and post it here. Maybe that will help us all make a more informed decision on how to proceed, and whether we need to "cheat", or not.

Birthday Traditions - An Epic Post

2011-11-04T14:05:00.000-06:00

I survived feeding and entertaining 16 young party guests and a neighborhood of boys yesterday. One down, three to go. All of my kids have Holiday season birthdays. It’s fantastic! I only say that with slight sarcasm because, the truth is, when they were all born in November and December I was thrilled. Now that they all have so much going on, on top of the regular holiday stuff, this time of year leaves me overwhelmed and exhausted, a lot. In fact, as much as I love the Holiday’s, I tend to turn in to Ebenezer Scrooge when things get added to our calendar. I think that’s why every fourth quarter for the last few years finds me trying to simplify my life in a really complicated way. Like when I decided these things:

Seeing if we could go more than a month without entering a grocery store, thus having to make everything we eat from scratch.
Buying nothing new for a whole holiday season. We saved money and the gifts we gave were simpler, but it took lots of thrift store hunting and handcrafting to fit the bill for birthdays and Christmas that year.
Cutting our grocery budget in half, just to see what we can do with what we give away. I’m not sure that this actually simplifies anything, but it seemed like an interesting experiment to try.

So, the birthday party. All of my youngest daughter's girl friends from her Sunday School class, two families of siblings, and two friends from school came to help celebrate her big day. Plus, we invited the whole neighborhood out for cupcakes. Not everyone came, but we did end up with about 10 little boys and their moms from various parts of our street. Some of the best parts of the party were:

I released myself from the notion of having a themed party . We just had a treasure hunt, played a bunch of fun games like charades and balloon stomp, and experimented with dry-ice in bowls of hot soapy water (it’s fascinating, you should try it sometime .
I didn’t buy any pricey party favors. The day after Halloween, Hannah and I went to the candy story and found lots of cute Halloween themed specialty candies seriously discounted. We bought what we needed and only spent $3 for all 16 of our party participants.

It was a great time, and I stayed in a very small budget. Between the balloons, the dry ice and the candy I only spent ten bucks. We ate snacks we already had (popcorn and fruit from Grandma and Grandpa’s trees) and cupcakes from food storage cake mixes. Good, cheap, fun.

So, what does this kind of craziness have to do with Live On What You Give? Well, beginning last year we started a tradition of birthday service. The idea is that our birthday is a pretty big thing to be grateful for, and maybe there are things that we can do to show our appreciation.

Past Birthday Service projects have typically been simple, take a meal to a family with a sick mom, donate blood, shovel a neighbor’s driveway, help clean our church. The key is that whatever we do, we serve together. Sharing a meal - some of us help with the cooking and some of us help with the delivery. Donating blood –one of us donates, some of us are support team and some of us stay behind with the younger kids, preparing dinner and making things nice for the donor’s return. You get the idea.

For yesterday’s service, we decided to invite all of the neighborhood children for birthday treats. So, early in the morning Hannah and I got up and made 4 dozen cupcakes in two flavors, devil’s food and vanilla (we turned those purple). The day was CRAZY, I had a presentation to prepare, a class to teach, a husband to pick up in Salt Lake, and carpool to run. There was no time for icing all of those cupcakes. But, inspiration comes often when you needed most, so here’s what we did...

“Okay, Hannah and I made these cupcakes to share with everyone.” I told them as I put all 48 of them in front of them on the table.

Wide eyes quickly counted how many cupcakes there could be.

“But, wait,” one little girl said. “How come there’s no icing on them?”

“Well, we thought we’d let you guys in on that fun.” I feel like Tom Sawyer tricking all of his friends into paying him for the chance to whitewash his fence.

“We each take 3 cupcakes. One is for you to eat and two are to give away. If there are enough left in the end, everyone can eat another cupcake.” I instructed.

“This is part of my birthday service. You guys get to help me ice all of these cupcakes.”

“Wait, we’re giving them away?” All the little girls shared looks of confusion.

Then, one girl asked, “So, we’re sharing these with neighbor kids? It’s like a service, right?”

Exactly. As all of the other girls began to understood they went to work . I don’t think I’ve ever seen a happy group of cupcake decorators.

When the neighbors didn’t seem to be coming on time, they all started to get anxious that the love and effort they had put into those cupcakes would have been in vain.

“No one’s coming. What should we do?” Hannah asked, concern in her voice.

“Take the trays of cupcakes and go outside. I promise you will find plenty of kids to give them to.”

“You mean we can just go and give them all away?” a little girl asked.

“Yep. And I know those kids are going to love all your hard work.” I said.

There was a collective cheer as they pulled trays of cupcakes off the table and headed for the door. When they got there, they found a bunch of kids and moms ready to be served. It was awesome. I think it is one of the best birthday parties we’ve ever thrown.

Where We Stand Today

2011-11-01T13:42:00.001-06:00

The Live On What You Give Experiment is running from October 20 through January 20th. I draw cash for groceries and other food purchases on the 20th of each month. The amount of cash we allow ourselves is set and equal to the amount of cash we donate to help individuals and families in need right in our own area. You can read more about where our cash contributions go, here and here.

For this particular experiment I did not stock up. I did not inventory what I had and decide what I might need in order to make it to the end of the month. I also didn't plan any contingencies for camping, Halloween, or birthday parties (we have one tomorrow). Those all had to fall into the budget. So, here's where we stand.

We went camping with cousins and I scrounged up all the granola bars and snack items I could find in our food storage. I also brought hot chocolate, cereal, paper cups, bowls and spoons, all from food storage. We bought french bread and soda on sale and made other meal contributions from our garden. It was amazing, because in the past I remember spending upwards of $50 for a simple over night camping trip. This time we pretty much only brought what we had.

For Halloween, I bought the big bag-o-candy. I considered taking it back since we were going to our friends' neighborhood, but we ended up with a few of our own trick-or-treaters before we left, so the candy stays. I hope I can make it last through the holidays.

Earlier in the day Don had a party at work. Food storage and garden items came in handy for the seven+ layer dip he brought. We had beans, el pato hot sauce, and olives from the pantry. Our garden was prolific with onions, peppers and tomatoes this year. Only three items came recently from the store: cheese, sour cream and cilantro.

Before trick-or-treating, we had a big chili party with our friends. There were three families and three pots of chili. I found a white chili recipe on allrecipes and made it my own, using canned turkey instead of chicken breasts and only 2 cans of beans instead of 5 (who uses that many beans?). I also added one cup of cream. The cream and the cheese were the only items that did not come from food storage. It was delicious and we ate most of it.

So, I have made a handful of trips to the store in the last 10 days and am left with less than $100 to get us through to November 20, when I can draw cash again. It may not sound that hard, but we are foodies, and there are six of us. I have to say, that in order to make it, I think I'm going to have to implement "No More Grocery Shopping" again and stay out of the store. Costco is like a death trap in this experiment.

I'll update again soon to give details on where we are.

Live On What You Give

2011-10-23T23:46:00.001-06:00

I'm back for a little visit to my favorite personal blog. Let me catch you up a bit to where we've been, where we are now, and where I hope we're headed.

In October of 2008 we began a month-long experiment to stay out of the grocery store. With some preparation, lots of trial and error, a little innovation and much inspiration we made it a whole month and the experiment was a success.
In August of 2009 my husband lost his job and we were free-falling for almost a year. Self employment has its perks, but financial security is not one of them. We lived on severance pay, savings, tax-returns, unemployment benefits and food storage. After nearly 12 months of that we depleted most of our stores. We came through it alive, with our marriage stronger and our family closer, so I'd say that was a success.
In October 2009 we decided to have a Nothing New holiday season. Some of that is chronicled here. It was also a success, though I can't remember how much fidelity we devoted to that particular experiment.
In August of 2010, my husband began working for a new company for half the salary he'd made at his previous job. Still, it was better than unemployment or the poor house, so we made it work. The trick with that company was that they rarely paid on time. In fact, we spent the entire holiday season from November-December of 2010 without being paid. That was tough. I will admit that our overdraft line of credit was what kept us going through that period. We spent a year planing that game.
In August of 2011 we got a new job. It is going well. They pay on time and are good to work with. He is happy and in his element there. I am adjusting to the time it takes him to commute.
We once had an emergency fund that covered several months of expenses, no car payment and no credit card debt. Now we have $1000 in our emergency fund, a car payment and a little bit of debt from our year of robbing Peter to pay Paul after we got the job that rarely paid. We are still working towards and waiting for the restoration of all things.

In keeping with fourth quarter money saving traditions of the past, I'm back with another super personal family experiment. This one goes hand in hand with No More Grocery Shopping and is called our "Live On What You Give" experiment. Here's how it works.
Each month we donate a certain amount of money to charity. This is beyond tithe that is one of the tenets of our faith. I've been thinking a lot lately about the level of our giving and if it accurately reflects our ability to give. I've also thought about just how far those funds are able to go and that's where I came to the inspiration for this experiment. What if I had to live on what I give? What if I can't spend at the grocery store any more than I have given to meet the needs of others around me? What if we could only provide for our children what others were willing to donate? What if my family had to live on the donations of another family, would it be enough? How would I make up the difference if it wasn't? These are just a few of the questions I have.

So, this time of year, as we make room for more, we give away toys, clothing, canned goods and participate in fund raisers for local food pantries and shelters. What if this season we can only spend to the level that we give. For instance, if I donate $X to charity, I can only spend $X on groceries. When I buy gifts for my kids' birthdays (they are all during the holidays), that gift can only be to the level that I am also able to donate for a child in need. If we have a holiday meal, I can only make and use items that I will also donate to a family in need.

Mostly, I want to test two quotes from wise men of my faith.
The first is this:

“You cannot give yourself poor in this work.”

Marion G. Romney

And , the second:

“A person cannot give a crust to the Lord without receiving a loaf in return.”

Melvin J. Ballard

The Promise of Beans

2010-09-12T21:55:00.009-06:00

So, I promised I'd post a recipe for beans. My good friend, Lindsey, posted this on her Facebook page and I tried them. Delicious. Simple. Straight forward. The only thing I did differently was add extra salt and spices. I'm a girl who likes a lot of spice.

We ate the beans and rice covered in a savory chicken broth with cheese, avocados, and home made picante. It was a perfect mix of fresh and food storage. So delicious and nutritious. And, the whole meal was gluten-free, which is one of my new pursuits.

I'm Back

2010-08-30T15:00:00.002-06:00

So, we went 11 months without a real pay check and here we are. We reached the end of the widow's oil, the grain in our storage did not fail. Now, we're back on the pay roll at a new company, and running our own natural cleaning products business.

While the coffers at the bank are pretty empty, my storage room is relatively full of the stuff we have put away, but don't really eat. Beans, for instance. We have CASES of beans. Red beans, white beans and black beans, mostly. All dried and all mysterious to me. I mean, I know how to use them once they are ready to go, but getting them to an edible state is a true enigma. I have a pressure cooker, but it scares the BeJeeBees out of me because of that insanely rocking pressure deal at the top. Plus, our pressure cooker is industrial size (of course, because we can never do anything small around here) and I'm not sure I want to cook up 20 quarts of beans. Anyway, there are things that I still need to learn about my food storage.

Also, working for a start-up (that's my guy, adventurously jumping into a great NEW company) and running our business, we need to get a lot more out of our fewer grocery store dollars. Now, I would NEVER disrespect all the coupon shopping divas I know by dissing the whole coupon idea. I will say, though, that our family eats a lot of fresh and bulk food that you don't see running through the coupon section of the Sunday paper. The challenge now is to maintain our current level of food snobbery and save money while we're at it. To me, this equates to:

Lot's less processed stuff
More home made, home grown sauces, pastas, breads, and veggie dishes
Broadening our pallet preferences

So, what is in your pantry that you guiltily gloss over every time you go to retrieve your favorite foods? I'll make a list of mine for you next time, and see if I can't decide on some ways to use that stuff.

Also next time, a detailed family dialogue on menu making and food snobbery. I'm happy to be back. I'll post in the next little bit about this Fall's challenge.

I Love Thrift Stores

2009-11-21T14:05:00.003-07:00

So, I've been floundering through the season, cheating here and there due to sickness, surgeries and other unforeseen obstacles. Birthday season and the Holidays are in full swing at my house and I have a few good things to report. Since I'm usually writing my failures, I thought I'd share the successes for a change.

I got Christmas for everyone from thrift stores and/or online classified ads.
What I bought new, I bought before our experiment started and on sale.
I have everything I need already in my house for my part of Thanksgiving dinner (potatoes, stuff for rolls, green bean casserole, pie goodies), but I did get a turkey today for $6.
I got a VCR at the thrift store and we are enjoying all of our old videos.
I've already made all of my neighbor and family gifts.

I just wanted to check in to let you know that we're plugging along. I always have more ambitions than I am capable of executing, thus the infrequent blog posts. I'm actually considering abandoning it for good. I have so many other projects that bring true value, that this one feels like I'm creating another chore for myself.

Not to end on a low note, I want to wish everyone a fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas season. Celebrate as much as you can, look for quiet time too. Don't do so much that you don't have a few evenings just to sit with your family and enjoy close family traditions. This is my favorite time of year and I'm determined to get the most out of it.

Apples for Apples

2009-11-04T14:20:00.005-07:00

I made my first microloan last week and it couldn't have gone to a more promising holiday project. If you're wondering what a microloan is, go check out my other blog where I explain in more detail. Last year I wrote about Wendy's fancy schmancy apples during the holidays. This year she's my first microloan venture as she turned her concept into a business and will be selling her apples all season long.

If you are interested in purchasing one of Wendy's awsome apples, leave me a comment or come visit us up at the Rennaissance Holiday Bizarre on Nov. 13th from 5-9. I also have a bunch of really cute applesauce ornaments you can mix and match to make the perfect addition to any tree.

As a Give Away, for each Fancy Schmancy Apple or set of Applesauce Ornaments purchased, we are donating an apple or a can of applesauce to a local food pantry. Our goal is to donate 100 apples and cans of applesauce this season.

Swine Flu

2009-11-04T14:02:00.003-07:00

Well, my No More Grocery Shopping Spree did not factor in the flu. So, there was a trip to the store for cough meds. I've got other fever/cold/allergy preparations on hand, but cough medicine was a must, so when I went I stocked up. Other cheater items included Popsicles, Sprite and fruit juice. But, on the whole we have survived pretty well with what we have here in the pantry and food storage.

On a more positive note, I saved a ton of money last month by not going to the store for anything other than emergency swine flu supplies. Even driving a bit further for my milk and produce I still saved a lot of money. Now we're on to another month and I'm hoping to keep expenses down to the point that I can keep going for another several months on the cash we have on hand.

Sorry for the infrequent posts. I have some exciting things going on and will post about them soon. School, swine flu, business prospects, marriage and mothering tend to take up all of my time these days. Thank goodness for kids who can cook and fold laundry. Not that they do it all the time, but hey it helps to have someone pick up the slack every now and then. And I think I've already mentioned that Don is a much better home maker than I am.

Buy Nothing Meal Plan - Week 1

2009-10-11T11:29:00.002-06:00

Sunday
Breakfast - scones, milk
Lunch - fried zuchinni
Dinner - Japanese curry rice (curry sauce from a mix)
Dessert - zuchinni bread

Monday
Breakfast - cream of wheat, milk
Lunch - fruit & crackers, cheese stick & nuts
Snack - nachos
Dinner - Spaghetti Carbonara & salad
Dessert - Cinnamon Struessel muffins (from a mix)

Tuesday
Breakfast - english muffins, hot chocolate
Lunch - fruit & crackers, muffins
Snack - pumpkin pancakes
Dinner - Chicken and Dumplings
Dessert - fend-for-yourself treats

Wednesday
Breakfast - bagels and berry jam, hot chocolate
Lunch - fruit & crackers, cheese stick & nuts
Snack - quesadillas
Dinner - hot wings and salad
Dessert - fruit smoothie

Thursday
Breakfast - eggs, fruit, milk
Lunch - veggies & crackers
Snack - nachos
Dinner - whole wheat waffles & fruit
Dessert - sugar cookies

Friday
Breakfast - cream of wheat, milk
Lunch - fruit & crackers, cheese stick & nuts
Snack - homemade fries
Dinner - Fend-for-yourself leftovers
Dessert -

Saturday
Breakfast - cold cereal & milk
Lunch - fruit & cheese
Snack - nachos
Dinner - home made french bread & salad (recipe to follow)
Dessert - ginger cookies

Hannah's Whole Wheat Waffles

2009-10-09T11:57:00.000-06:00

Hannah got her wish to have breakfast for dinner Thursday night. She didn't make the batter, but the waffles were delicious. Brennan whipped up the batter, and Hannah and I cooked them up in our many-years-old, $10 waffle iron.

Speaking of many-years-old, the hand mixer Brennan used to beat the batter is from our wedding. That makes it over 17 years old. It was given to us by our best man, and has served us well all these years. A few years ago I got a hand-me-down Kitchen-aid for myself as a Christmas present. I love that machine. But, I didn't get rid of my old hand mixer and it still serves us well for smaller jobs like a batch of whole wheat waffles.

Here's the recipe. We pulled it out of Betty Crocker's classic red and white cookbook, one of my favorites.

Whole Wheat Waffles

2 eggs
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup veggie oil (Bren used canola)
1 3/4 cup milk (we used 2 T dry milk pdr. and 1 3/4 c. water)
1 Tbsp. sugar (we used 2 Tbsp.)
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Beat eggs and add other ingredients beat just until smooth. Pour by cup-full into center of iron, cook until waffle stops steaming.

So, what is your oldest kitchen appliance and how often do you use it?

Wings and Things

2009-10-08T20:56:00.004-06:00

Brennan's meal this week was hot wings. He is a bit of a wings connoisseur and is picky about the spice and tang applied to his favorite pieces of poultry. KC and Hannah don't prefer the spice, but love a little teriyaki on their wings, so we made two batches along with a bunch of corn on the cob, free from a friend's garden.

Sorry I don't have any photos, the battery on the camera is dead and the battery pack is in an undisclosed location (in the car, in the shop, getting some warranty issues resolved - the car, not the camera). But here's what we did:

Bren's Barbecue Wings

Spicy Wings start with a dry rub - Here he used a Cajun seasoning mix along with paprika, cayenne, chili powder, garlic and salt. He dumped this generously over the wings and coated them all with the seasonings. Then he let them sit for about two hours.

Asian Wings Marinate -1/4 c. Soy sauce, 1/4 c. rice vinegar, 2 tbsp. sugar, 1 tsp. sesame oil, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1/2 tsp. ginger powder. Pour over chicken, mix and marinate for two hours.

After the wings have sat in their seasoning for a couple of hours, throw them in a 500 degree oven for about 20 minutes. If you really need the crisp and crunch of fabulously fried wings, get your pan and oil heating and cook them up that way, but similar results can be had by another method. I coat the wings with a bit of olive oil (on top of their rub or marinate) and then dredge with flour (that means I coat them with flour on all sides). I still bake them, but the little bit og oil and flour creates a nice crust you don't get otherwise.

Bren likes to baste the spicy ones with a bottled wing sauce he's doctored to make even zestier and spicier. We serve them with veggies and dip. The cool of the dip is a nice contrast to the hot of the wings.

Soup Kitchen

2009-10-06T21:46:00.004-06:00

Today, kids came home to pumpkin pancakes, a favorite fall-time after school snack. I mixed 'em up and Don cooked Here's how you do it:

Pumpkin Pancakes
Make your favorite pancake recipe and add 1/2 cup pumpkin for ever 2 cups flour. Mix and make like you would normal pancakes. Serve with syrup.

Later, Caleb (8) made Chicken and Dumplings for dinner. He cut potatoes and carrots, opened cans of chicken and chicken broth. He also measured ingredients for dumplings and added dollops of dough to the boiling broth when it was time. All-in-all, I'd say he and I spent a total of 30 quality minutes preparing dinner together. Here's the recipe:

Easy Chicken Soup

1 12 oz. can chicken breast
2 medium potatoes, cubed
2 cups cubed carrots
1 can chicken broth
8 cups water
4 tsp. chicken bullion
2 tsp. garlic powder
Seasoning salt to taste

Put all ingredients into a medium stock pot and bring to a boil over medium heat.

Cheater Dumplings

2 1/4 cup baking mix
1 Tbsp. dry milk powder
2/3 cup water

Stir with a fork until all dry ingredients are moistened.

When soup begins a rolling boil, drop dumpling dough about the size of an extra large egg (don't you love the precision of my measurements) into the boiling soup. When all dumplings (you should have gotten about 8 of them) are in the pot, turn temp. down to medium-low and start a timer for 10 minutes. Leave to slow boil, uncovered for 10 minutes. Then, cover the pot, start the timer for 10 more minutes and continue to boil. After 10 minutes remove from heat and serve.

Pasta From The Pantry

2009-10-06T10:45:00.005-06:00

Sunday we sat down and from our master menu made a "buy nothing meal plan" for the week. Everything from here on out comes from the freezer or the pantry. Each kid chose the meal they wanted to make this week. Monday I did breakfast, kids made their own lunches and snack, dinner was made by KC (11) and dessert was courtesy of Caleb (8), both needed some small supervision from me. Here's Monday's plan:

Monday
Breakfast - cream of wheat, milk
Lunch - fruit & crackers, cheese stick & nuts
Snack - nachos
Dinner - Spaghetti Carbonara & salad (recipe to follow)
Dessert - Cinnamon Struessel muffins (from a mix)

Spaghetti Carbonara is one of our favorite pastas. It's quick and easy. It calls for cream and bacon. What more do I need to say. The eggs in the sauce itself is heated and cooked on the piping hot pasta. The heat from the cooked noodles is enough to sightly cook the eggs and thicken the sauce, but you have to work fast as everything comes together the minute you drain the spaghetti. KC made it mostly herself with a little help from me in crushing the garlic and her dad drained the pasta. So, here goes:

Spaghetti Carbonarra

1 lb. spaghetti
1 cup cream
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesean
1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups precooked bacon crumbs

2 cloves garlic, crushed

drained canned mushrooms and a cup of frozen spinach are optional

Start water boiling, add pasta when you have a rolling boil. Cook according to package directions. DO NOT overcook. While pasta is boiling prepare the cream portion of the sauce. In a medium bowl mix cream, milk, eggs, cheese and salt. Set aside and wait for pasta to finish cooking. Once the pasta has less than 4 minutes left to cook, add bacon crumbs and crushed garlic to a small, hot saute pan. Saute over medium heat (add optional ingredients once the garlic has a nice golden tan). Drain pasta and immediately pour cream sauce over it. Stir quickly and follow with sizzling hot bacon crumbs, etc. Stir until mixed well. Serve steamy and enjoy.

Peaches and Potatoes

2009-09-25T11:52:00.007-06:00

Yesterday I bought a huge supply of potatoes to add to our cold storage. I got them from a fabulous local source, alpinefoodstorage.com. The proprietors drove to Idaho the day before to pick them up as they are being harvested. The potatoes come in 50# bags with the dirt still on them. That little bit of scrubbing time is worth it because the extra dirt helps the spuds stay fresh all through the winter.

Naturally, we had to eat potatoes for dinner, so along with some other exciting items we picked up at Alpine Food Storage (AFS), this is the recipe we made. Bren (13) did the slicing, boiling stirring and sauteing and I just watched to offer encouragement and advice. Here's the recipe:

Au Gratin Potato Casserole

6 russet potatoes, sliced (about 1/8 in. thick coins)
6 slices of bacon, bite size pieces (also shelf stable from AFS)
2 cloves garlic minced
2 cups heavy cream (shelf stable from AFS)
1 can cream chicken soup
1 cup milk
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp pepper
Parmesan and cheddar cheese for the top (optional)

WARNING: This is not the healthiest recipe, but it is the height of fall comfort food.

Here's how you throw it together -

Slice and boil potatoes over med. heat. Cook until all crispness is gone, but potatoes are still firm. You should be able to stab them easily with a fork, but they shouldn't fall apart. Remove from heat and drain.
In a small saute pan, saute bite sized pieces of bacon along with minced garlic. Drain and set aside.
In a medium mixing bowl stir together remaining ingredients.
Butter a 9x13 baking pan and add potatoes. Pour cream mixture over potatoes and stir just enough to coat all the potatoes with sauce. Top with a little more cheese if desired.
Bake at 350F until golden brown and bubbly, about 30 min.

Honestly, Bren did this almost entirely on his own and it turned out deliciously.

For dessert we love a simple peaches and cream. We got these from the growers on the fruit belt in Northern Utah. Purchase, preserve and eat fruit in season and buy local whenever you can. These are my big sharing items right now because they are not expensive and they are prolifically available.

One final word that will bring you countless blessings of abundance when you make a practice of always buying a little more than what you need. Share. You'll be amazed at the things that come back to you when you need them.

Staying out of the store....again

2009-09-22T21:46:00.004-06:00

If you haven't been to my new blog, Home of Peace and Plenty, you should check it out. It's a little more philosophical than this blog, but my thoughts are still forming and there's really not an original thought there. However, the experiment proves to be interesting.

As for this blog, here's the latest in the grocery shopping realm. We decided in our family meeting last night to return to no more grocery shopping for the last quarter of the year. So, from the beginning of October until January we will not be going to the grocery store with the following exceptions (note there are fewer exceptions this go around than last time):

We can still visit any local producers; i.e. orchards, the dairy, the egg lady, and the farmers market (for produce only).

Turkeys, birthday meals, and school needs ("Mom, I'm supposed to bring 2 dozen pre-wrapped rice crispy treats to class tomorrow") are exempt.

If Don's out of town, we can go out to eat.

We're not stocking up a whole lot for this since we spent the last year preparing. There are some things I want to get but they are non-food items like duct tape (you can't imagine all the things you can do with that stuff from taping kids' mouths shut ; ) to making wallets and shoes, there are hours of fun and entertainment in each roll). I should also go over my list of stuff I ran out of last time to be sure.

These are the things I ran out of during my month of No More Grocery Shopping

Paper plates
Paper cups
Paper muffin cups
Paper lunch bags
Sesame oil (I already stocked up)
Lettuce (Hmm, Sunflower Farmers' Market for all produce)
Cilantro
Salad greens
Other fresh veggies
Milk (Local Dairy)
Cream (Ditto)
Hot chocolate mix - (Taken care of)

So, what would you stock up on if you weren't going to the store for three months?

New Blog In Progress

2009-09-19T11:32:00.002-06:00

I've started a new blog to reflect the shift in our lifestyle. It goes beyond grocery shopping to a broader scope of questions to be experimented with. It's called Home of Peace and Plenty. It will have a new experiment with our personal perameters and guidelines soon. You view that blog by clicking here.

http://homeofpeaceandplenty.blogspot.com/

I want to continue to refine the No More Grocery Shopping aspect of our experiment here. So keep checking for new challenges and ideas.

Radical Ideas

2009-09-18T23:25:00.004-06:00

Alright, I am a crazy idealist. I'm also overly ambitious (redundant, I know), but this foray into the world of limitless possibilities (i.e. unemployment) is inspiring me to discover just how much I can do with what I have been given.

Almost a year ago I started my No More Grocery Shopping experiment. If you want to know why I did it, click here. If you want to know how I did it, click here. Since then we have tried to simplify further, prepare for the uncertain yet bright future and have plans in place in case of rain.

Well, the warning came, sirens sounded, clouds rolled in and it started pouring. In a 48 hour period we lost our job, we lost our car, my sister was in the hospital, my nephew had a serious medical emergency while we were all at the pool, my youngest daughter woke up with strep throat as we were preparing to leave town and everything around me seemed to want to be part of our crisis. We were overwhelmed to say the least. I think I only cried once because I was mostly in a semi state of shock. Still, I knew things can always be worse, and most of the world lives in constant crisis, so I picked myself up

Thankfully, that all passed. I mean everything but the "we lost our job" part (why couldn't I be born a country singer and write a song about that?). Now we have a new kind of rain bringing the potential for abundance to our lives and radical ideas are flooding my mind. It feels like we have lived our entire marriage (17 years) inside the matrix, content with the conventions of corporate culture and consumerism. But now we are attempting to unplug and the feeling is something akin to euphoria.

I know, you're reading this and thinking, "She is in denial, her husband just lost his job and she is in La La Land" and you might be right. Like I said, I only cried once, and other than a couple of days of horrible headaches I've been coping better than I expected. But, I would argue that I understand (at least cognitively) the reality of our situation and I have some ideas on how to thrive despite the challenges before us.

So, here are some of my radical ideas. I'm not sure which ones we'll do. Since they all require a whole family effort we have to have a family meeting before I can commit to our next plan of action.

Live only on existing funds as long as we can go
Keep emergency fund for a true rainy day
Put any new income towards savings/debt reduction (house, car, student loan)

Not so crazy so far, that's WHAT we want to accomplish. Here's the how:

Fully embrace the adage "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without."
I already know I can go six weeks without grocery shopping, why not make it a full two months.
Learn how to go beyond "reduce, reuse, recycle" as a means of building greater peace and plenty in my life and home
Go a prescribed period of time (one month, two months, a year) without buying anything new (except stuff like food and underwear)
Simplify to the point of optimal satisfaction (i.e. discover what things will actually make us happier if we give them up)
Unplug (with a few loop holes) from the grid (literally) for certain hours of the day/week; maybe hand wash dishes, air dry clothes, or only use the oven one day a week.

To get an idea of the extremes I've been studying lately go see this guy's blog, The No Impact Man, and this girl's San Fransisco Compact blog. Please understand that for me, these lifestyle change ideas are less about CO2 and more about being a good steward of all of our resources. I'm not going to their extremes, I'm going to find my own. But other people's extremes are instrumental (even if it is just for nothing morbid facination).

One of the greatest lessons of No More Grocery Shopping was that very often less is abundantly, unquestionably more. I can only imagine that taking it one step further will lead to new discoveries about who we really are and what we really need to live a fulfilling life.

This Is Not A Test.....

2009-09-15T22:30:00.000-06:00

So, in case you haven't heard, late last month, almost a full 11 months after I began my grand experiment, Don finally lost his job. I say finally because we could see the signs and started preparing a year ago for life without an job and now the wait is over. With all the time we had to read the writing on the wall I have to say it was a relief when it finally came. Don maintains it was an answer to prayer. You can only have soul sucking dementors (see image below) following you around for so long before it really starts to effect your world view.

So, he got laid off on August 27 and we were on the road headed for the California Coast by the 30th. Because we had a company car as our family vehicle, we had to get a new one on the spot. In five hours I was able to secure a minivan that we promptly initiated with an extended road trip. This is our new car:

As soon as the purchase was final we packed our bags and our kids, finished some weekend business and drove though the night to Morro Bay, CA where Don and I spent our honeymoon 17 years ago. It was fabulous. Now, we're back and ready for real life again. This is blog is no longer a test or an experiment. It is reality. I have to learn to live outside the regular economy of weekly grocery shopping and drive-by consumerism for real this time. They say "practice makes perfect," but I believe "diligent practice makes perfect." I've had a lot of practice but I'm far from perfect and there are lots of ways I could be more vigilant about preserving my families finances. Come along for the ride and see where we end up. Thankfully, we had some warnings and we followed the directions we received during that time, so I'm glad I can also say, "This is not a true emergency..."

Tune in next time for home made jam, back to school musing and a peek at life on the social entrepreneur side of things.

Razzle Dazzle PlumBerry Jam

2009-09-15T21:56:00.000-06:00

Photo from taste.com, I didn't have my camera handy, but of course my jam looked just like this.

So, one day this summer I went nuts and had 12 kids over for a big party and play day. Sometime during the afternoon a child managed to manipulate the remote well enough to order an on-demand movie that no one watched while two toddlers slashed in a kiddie-pool and 9 bigger kids ran in and out of my house in a grand water-storage rotation water fight. At one point I had six or seven extra sets of hands helping in the kitchen as I made what my girl KC calls "Razzle Dazzle PlumBerry Jam." Somehow we all lived. All the kids found the treasures I hid out in the yard and garage, all my water jugs got emptied and refilled and no one was cut, scalded or otherwise injured in the jam making process. The day was a success.

After distributing the jam around to a small test group (actually they were unsuspecting friends and neighbors) I had several requests for the recipe. Well, if you don't already know, requesting a recipe from me is often a hazardous prospect because I tend to alter as I go and not keep a lot of notes on the alterations. But, here's what I did as best as I can remember.

Razzle Dazzle PlumBerry Jam

3 pounds firm plums, cut into eighths, seeds discarded
2 pounds raspberries/blackberries
3/4 cup water
2 tablespoon lemon juice
8 cups sugar
1 (3-ounce) package commercial pectin

Preparation:Place plums, water, and lemon juice in a blender and pulse to chunky state. Add to a large non-aluminum stockpot with berries. Stirring often, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fruit is soft. You should end up with about 8 cups. Stir in sugar. Return heat to high and bring back to a rolling boil while constantly stirring. Add pectin and return to a boil while stirring. Continue to stir and boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Let rest for 1 minute, then skim off any foam. Pour even amounts into sterilized jars, leaving 1/8-inch of space at the top. Wipe rims and seal with sterilized lids. Process in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove, let cool, and label jars. Store plumberry jam in a cool, dry place.

Note: I used half the pectin and my jam turned out like a thick syrup, but it still works on toast and bagels and was well recieved with the fam. Try it out and see how you like it. Let me know.

Better All The Time

2009-01-27T15:10:00.003-07:00

I have to say, I'm getting really good at this No More Grocery Shopping Thing. I've been going once a month for major groceries along with one stop in at the Sunflower Farmers Market and one stop at the Egg Lady's and I have been feeding my family of 6 for under $500 a month. I'm saving hundreds when I compare my current budget with my previous buying habits. And, at a time of economic uncertainty, hundreds of dollars makes the difference between being prepared for a rainy day and being stuck out in the storm.

This months No More Eating Out plan has also been a success (though I have had one stop for pizza and one for french fries at a local deli). The other night Don and I had a date with another couple. We taught them to make bread from start to finish. They provided dinner, we brought all the bread fixins and dessert. When we were discussing what to make for dessert Don had a fabulous idea, a molten chocolate cake with ice cream and chocolate sauce. Who could pass on that the catch was it required a bunch of stuff from the store. So, on reexamining the question we decided not to break our No More Grocery Shopping streak, but to find something at home that we could make. We ended up with the following dessert that came from food storage and the freezer. The eggs came from the cold storage as well. Also, I'm including the fabulous salad dressing that our hostess made to accompany a lovely lettuce arrangement we had with our dinner. I've modified it a bit, of course.

Before I do that I have to thank everyone for their comments this month. I especially liked Kristen's idea. Kristen is very pregnant and has had enough of running around with little kids and a belly, so she just quit. Wanna know how to do No More Grocery Shopping, just do it. Give yourself a time table, say a week or ten days, whatever may stretch you a bit and stick with it. Start with the time limit that is just beyond your comfort zone and then make it longer next time.

I did our major shopping for February today and spent under $300. With that I got several items to restock my pantry and food storage. I have past successes that build my confidence in our ability to stick to our financial and simplification goals. Thanks for keeping me accountable. look for those recipes in the next post.

The Original Fast Foods

2009-01-22T15:22:00.003-07:00

I just got off the phone with one of the authors of the book "Original Fast Foods." Click the link and go to their site, it is very thought provoking. Anyway, I have been pondering my experiments of late - how to better stay out of the stores and how to rely more on creativity and ingenuity in our own kitchen - and I was pointed in this direction by two different sources.

So, can we do more with whole food, learn to use them as they were intended and simplify our lives in the process? I think we can. The answer to this question gets to the crux of my purpose behind No More Grocery Shopping. Remember Thoreau and the confines he wanted to shed. I don't want to get rid all commerce and spending in my life, or my nearest and dearest food favorites, but I think I can do better than I have. It was inspiring to talk to someone who is living in line with his convictions and helping others to do so also.

Is life easier when you begin to move outside the confines of the norm? I don’t think so, but is it good? I would have to say a resounding yes. Here’s what I’m learning. A simpler life doesn’t mean an easier life. Go chew on that for a while.

A Success and a Failure

2009-01-16T21:24:00.004-07:00

Okay, I made it through the week. This was a high-stress week and my No More Grocery Shopping plan remained in tact. I didn't buy any groceries. And, the load of leftovers we had from the weekend were hugely helpful.

This was our week to go in for our 18 month check-ups at the Moran Eye Center. My husband has a degenerative retinal disease that until now has had no treatment. About two years ago we heard of this miraculous study involving a revolutionary implant that is surgically placed into the eye. So, in July of 'o6 he had surgery to set the implant and we go back every six months for a couple of intensive days of testing, poking and prodding (on him, I'm the companion and driver). Well, we made it through and the leftovers were a huge help. Plus, the kids ate dinner at their cousins one of the nights. Anyway, I was glad I had a master menu and a plan in place, even for those crazy days and nights.

However, we got to today and I am hammered. And, I felt like I needed some time with my kids. Plus, I wanted to reward them for their good behavior all we week, so we grabbed a pizza for lunch. I spent all of ten bucks,, but I know it was a cheat.

As a matter of philosophical observation I have these comments concerning my little slip. When Thoreau went into the woods to live off the land for 2 years, two months and 2 days, he had many who criticised his methods and means. They felt like he failed in some of the details, like he didn't perform his experiment perfectly enough. He had weekly goody drops from his sweet mom who lived a couple of miles away. He went to town too often, he paid too many visit and had too many visitors. My view of my experiment is as his was about living at Walden. It is not about being perfect, it is about being aware and consciously deciding your coarse in life, rather than just letting life happen to you. We make a hundred little trips and errands because we can. But, what if we decide we don't want to live the life of the perpetual errand runner? Then we step back, assess our steps and choose a better way. Maybe we can't, and maybe we shouldn't, eliminate all the confines of our complex society, but we can live deliberately on our own terms if we will chance a start.

I'm making muffins and soups and sauces that all freeze and come out when we need them. It's allowing me to indulge my love for nurturing my family with good food, and meeting my need to have cheap and easy fixes when things are crazy.

So, how are you living more consciously this year?

Four Fabulous Sucesses to Report

2009-01-12T20:28:00.006-07:00

So, I chose dine-in (my home) over carry-out on the following recent occasions:

Friday night we had 11 kids (including ours) over for dinner and a movie and kept 10 of them over night. We ate pasta, garlic bread, salad and a veggie side. We went through two loaves of Italian bread that Don had garlicked up and closely watched as it broiled; it was a hit. We also went through almost 2 lbs. of pasta. Still, the whole meal for 13 people only cost us about $6. Amazing, I know. Way cheaper, and more delicious than any of my local fast food establishments.
Saturday we went to my daughter KC's amateur photography debut. She won second place in a local photography contest. Usually, we would celebrate by going out for ice cream or something fun like that. Well, we did go to the show where her photo was displayed, and we got to admire her image along with other entries. But, when we finished we came home for treats. I think it cost us about $2 for all of us to drink our fill of chocolate malts.
Saturday evening was date night. We planned an outing but needed to eat before we left. I made a delicious masaman curry with saffron rice. I'll share the recipe later. The kids were thrilled that I made enough for them as well. They ate in the basement in front of a movie (they were ecstatic because that is a rare treat in itself) and we ate by candle light at the dining room table. I made food for all 6 of us with leftovers to feed us another entire meal. Again, this meal came in under $6.
We fed another family along with ours for Sunday dinner. Now, I don't know that I should count this in my not eating out brags yet, because we never eat out on the Sabbath. But, we did experience a miracle with this meal and I wanted to share it. Don made a great Sicilian soup. Bren and I made Penne Fra Diavolo (penne with a spicy sausage sauce), we served it all with home made Italian bread (whole wheat), corn, salad and KC made a fancy sparkling beverage (cranberry juice and sprite). The amazing thing is not that we that we had enough food for 10, but that we had enough left overs for two additional meals, one of soup and one of pasta. I'll need to make more bread, but what we had was enough to supply kids with lunch today. Amazing, huh. And, the price tag on this mondo meal is somewhere around $6.50.

Tune in later this week to see how all these leftovers are going to help me with my no more grocery shopping goal, keep me out of restaurants and fast food joints and further bless my family. It's going to be great.

This is KC's winning photo, Autumn Rose, minus the matting and frame she artfully chose that made this picture stunning.

No More Grocery Shopping PLUS

2009-01-10T08:55:00.003-07:00

I'm out of the grocery store again. I examined my master menu, compared it with my master shopping list, checked off the things I needed to make every meal on that menu and went to the store. I spent just under $300 for the needed items and don't plan to go back again for a month. I will stop at the Sunflower Farmers Market if I need produce in a couple of weeks, but since my garage has turned into a big just-above-freezing refrigerator, my produce is staying very fresh outside, and hopefully I won't need to go.

Now, in addition to NO More Grocery Shopping I am also doing No More Eating Out this month. Eating out is one of my favorite past times. I could go on and on about why I love it; from not having to cook and clean to having so many awesome options and getting to try new things. But, this month I have a few goals I want to accomplish with my budget and my creativity so I'm taking a closer look at my expenditures outside of the grocery store. Eating out, for our family, is the next big drainer of resources after grocery shopping. Let's consider it.

Aside from possible nutritional concerns, the only draw backs I see to eating out are first, the budget drain and second, the creativity cop out. The first requires no explanation. You eat out, you spend money that might more wisely or benevolently be spent elsewhere. Enough said. The second is a little more subtle. This is my experience. The two reasons we eat out are these:

I have no grace under fire. If we have a very busy day and I am unprepared to feed the masses, I have a tendency to cave in to carry out.
Eating out is our automatic, first and favorite way to start our date.

On closer examination here's what we find. If it's a crazy day I generally cop out to take out. In so doing I rob myself and my family the creative opportunity of planning ahead and devising cheaper and easier meals for my family. The fewer of these meals I plan, the fewer I have in my repertoire for the crazy days I'm hoping to improve. It's a vicious downward spiral (I say with a smirk, because as far as vicious downward spirals go, this one could be considered quite benign). Honestly stated, the less I prepare, the less prepared I am if times get tough or I wise up and I don't want to be dependent on the local grab-n-go joint to bail me out for dinner. So, this month I want to kick my creativity into a higher gear and learn some kind of presence under pressure.

As far as date nights go, I'm a little stumped. We don't usually splurge and only spend about $20 on a date night meal. I generally consider this money well spent. We get to go out, away from our beloved brood and reconnect weekly without kids clamouring for needful things. How can I meet this need to get away/reconnect and reach my financial/creative goal of making something better for us? I don't know the answer yet, but I do know that one of my most romantic dinners ever was made by my husband and served in my bedroom at a little table set by the kids. They got to see us light the candles, plate our food and then shut the door. They still remember it, too.

Anyway, I have one more reason for wanting to save the money this month. My husband has a business trip to Amsterdam. Usually when he goes abroad he goes for a long time and is hopping from city to city. This time he has one meeting and is only going to be there a few days. He called me, asked if I'd accompany him (how could I turn him down), bought my ticket (his flight, food and hotel are all paid for, I get to tag along for the price of airfare) and we are set to go. In order to stay within budget we need eat in and eat frugal.

What are your best eat-in suggestions, or date-night ideas beyond eating out? I'm dying for ideas.

Prep for No More Grocery Shopping - Part 2 - Cleaning Out the Spice Cupboards

2009-01-04T21:12:00.007-07:00

Hey there. Sorry I missed my Thursday post, it was New Year's Day and we were thick in the fun of organizing our home and getting ready for late holiday guests and New Year revelries. Perhaps I'll post on that next. And, about my posting schedule, I'm moving to periodic posts, rather than a set schedule. Some weeks Tuesday and Thursday are great days to post, others I feel pressure to get other stuff done, and still other times I have something to say another day. So, I am now at a point where I want to say "periodic posts," and if anyone cares to check periodically, they may find something new.

Enough about that. Now to my spice shelves and how having a plethora of well-organized spices blesses me at meal making times and my family when it's time to eat. First, some photos.

Savory spice cupboard before and after. Both are pretty crowded, but now I know how to find everything savory. This is where I keep season salts, garlic, spicy sauces, pepper flakes, and a whole lot of other kinds of good cookin' love.

The sweet spice cupboard used to hold all sorts of items besides sweet stuff. Now I can see what I'm looking for and if it's something like cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, vanilla, honey or malt, I go to this cupboard.

It may seem like I've got too many condements and additives. But honestly, if I have to live off of plain rice, pasta or potatoes for a while because there's severe winter weather, a job loss, or some other unexpected event, I know these spices are going to be my sanity. If you want to find some great blends and prices on bulk spices and mixes, go to San Fransisco Herb Company and check out their offerings. Atlantic Spice is a sister company and is more condusive to east coast ordering. Both offer high quality products for a lot less than grocery store prices. One more list of items to permanently erase from your grocery shopping list.

Now, here's a great document or two on spices I use that gives my family the variety we need in our life and diet. Always something new and surprising, often good enough to enjoy again. I've included some of my favorite spicy recipes.

Mariah's Spicey Suggestions

Regional Recipes

What are your best spice strategies and recipes? How do you use spices to liven up your meals and menus? Please share, we could all use a little spice.

Prep for No More Grocery Shopping - Part 1 - Cleaning Out the Fridge

2008-12-30T20:43:00.005-07:00

I know I said next time I'd talk about the master menu, but I had to share today's preparations instead. I paid two 11 year old girls $5 each to clean out my fridge today. I don't know if i was violating any child labor laws, but one of them is mine and has previously been trained on this task, so I knew she could do it. Her friend is also a good worker, so they were a dynamic duo and well worth the $10.

I always forget the before picture, so here they are mid-process spraying out all of the gross stuff in the fridge. I also got a great photo of them washing shelves and drawers in the sink, but since one of them isn't mine I figured I better not publish it till I talk to her mom.

This is the pile of food, minus the stuff they threw away. They wipe down the sticky stuff, consolidated the butters and condiments, decided on new homes for old items and got it all back in a very organized way. they even made a game out of tossing the oldy, moldy stuff in the trash. It was good fun in the kitchen this morning.

Here's the stuff they threw away. We're all ashamed of the wasted leftovers. I'll have a post coming soon to show how to minimize this problem .

This is their stack of clean shelves and drawers. It's precariously perched, but it was clean and dry when they returned it all to it's home.

This is a photo of our sandwich supply drawer and our leftovers tote. I used to keep sandwich stuff in the tote and leftovers scattered throughout the fridge, but then we forgot what we had and couldn't find it half the time even if we remembered where it was, so I'm hoping this new system will cut down on waste.

Here's the finished product. Fridge and freezer clean and reorganized; full but with room for things to come. The inventory was a cinch once everything found its new home. Now I know what I have and what I need for another month of No More Grocery Shopping. As you can see we are doing pretty well and I won't have to stock up too much more with the perishable foods.

You're Gonna Love This

2008-12-30T00:23:00.007-07:00

Actually, it's nothing great, but I am getting ready for a new year of No More Grocery Shopping and there is some preparation I'm doing that I thought worth documenting. So, here's what I'm doing summarized in a couple'a cool google docs that you can use and print as needed.

No More Grocery Shopping Kitchen Prep Checklist

This is how I'm preparing my kitchen for No More Grocery Shopping. The storage room, shopping lists, menus and inventories will follow.

To see my kitchen prep plan click here for the document in its entirety.

Remember my universal disclaimer. There is nothing new here, just ideas I've come across, tried and decided to share. they aren't perfect. I'm sure there are many better and more efficient ways to organize your kitchen and life for No More Grocery Shopping, this is just my way. As with anything I share, take what works, toss the rest.

A teaser for next time:

Mariah's Master Menu Plan

(click to see what it looks like)

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T21:59:00.002-07:00

It's been a grand holiday in our home. Lots of love and home made fun, recycled and re-gifted presents, abundant meals and messes, little fighting, no sleep (in the night, but I did catch two hours today as a nap). There is so much to be grateful for in the peace and plenty of the season.

Next week I'll be blogging about my preparations for a New Year of No More Grocery Shopping. As I've said previously, I'm planning to spend a year with limited trips to the supermarket and I've got a lot to do to get ready. But I can't wait.

How was Christmas different in your homes this year? I have a few things to say about that next time, but I'd love to hear your experiences.

I hope your homes are full of comfort and joy.

Love,
Mariah

An Unlikely Hanukkah Story - The Oil That Never Failed

2008-12-23T17:44:00.004-07:00

My family observes Hanukkah every year. We aren't Jewish, but we light the menorah and share the miraculous story of the oil that lasted eight days in the temple when there was only enough for one night. Some would say that the miracle isn't just that the oil lasted, but that those rededicating the temple in Jerusalem had the faith to light it in the first place, knowing it had to keep burning until they could find more. I believe those faithful people drew from a deep well of hope, strengthened by stories of previous miracles. What follows is my own retelling of another miracle of oil, I won't moralize about this story, but this time of year, especially when things are stressful and there never seems to be enough time, money, resources, I think of all the stories of oil I know and let their wisdom fill me like a vessel. I've also included a recipe for the best latkes we've ever made.

The Widow's Oil

The widow’s oil never failed during the drought. She planned to use the last drops to make a meal for her self and her son. Months before, she stripped her home of the things she once cherished, sold all she had and rationed the little food she acquired, knowing she lacked the means to obtain any more. Storing up her strength, she, against all hope, believed; watching and waiting for an answer she felt sure would arrive. Care-worn and expectant she considered her young son as the days turned his round, rosy face pallid and gaunt.

Finally, her grain was nearly gone, her cruse of oil all but empty. Exhausted by her need, overwhelmed by her lack, she surrendered her will and prepared to make her final meal. While she gathered sticks for a fire a holy man appeared and asked her for a drink. She regarded him curiously. She had not seen him in her village before. She wondered if he was the sign she waited for. As she drew the water he implored her, “And with it, bring me a little bread, that I may eat.”
Bewildered by his request, she gravely answered, “As the Lord thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.”

To this the holy man replied, “Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth.”

Sometimes, to surrender is to trust, so she did as the holy man asked: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the Lord.

Hanukkah Latkes

10 small-medium red potatoes

3 Tbsp. dehydrated onion

2 Tbsp. flour

2 eggs

season salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup oil (about 1/2 inch in the bottom of a large fry pan)

Sauce

1/4 cup sour cream

1/4 cup mayo

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Par bake the potatoes until they are cooked firm, but not crisp. I did this in the microwave for about half the time I'd normally keep them in. Grate the potatoes and add the other ingredients. Heat the oil on a medium-high heat. Shape the potato mixture into pancake size round (like you're making a hamburger) and fry in the oil once it's hot. Fry on one side until golden brown and then flip. When both sides are browned put onto a plate with paper towels. This recipe makes about 10 latkes total in two batches. I serve them with the sauce above or straight sour cream.

Homemade for the Holidays - 3 Sister Gifts

2008-12-18T00:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, things are crazy here this weeks, so this is going to be quick. Here are three of my sister gifts for this year.

"What are sister gifts?" you may ask? Well, they are gifts made for my kindred spirits. I have a lot of them. I do have brothers, too, but they don't care so much about pretty, sweet smelling, calming sort of gifts. So, I've termed my favorite things to share with the many women in my circle "Sister Gifts."

Sister Gift #1 - Hand Rolled Bees Wax Candles
Sorry this is such a tiny image. I've been doing a ton of holiday photos, but not taking a ton of pics for my blog. Anyway, this pic came from betterbee.com, which is where I got my beeswax and wick from. Look at your local craft store for candle making supplies. Home crafted candles always make a great gift.

Sister Gift # 2 - Bamboo Reed Essential Oil Diffuser

Okay, I had this image in a previous post. It comes from thesage.com, a place where I order lots of great natural bath and body stuff. I mentioned in that post that this particular gift is meant for my husband, but I plan to make a few for sisters as well, so it still counts as a sister gift.

There's good news and bad news tied to this one. First, the good news. I got all of my stuff early, so I'm set on this gift. Also good news, if you buy soon, thesage.com (I have no affiliation with them other than being a loyal customer) is very good about shipping the day you order and getting your order to you quick. So, you may have time if you live anywhere close to me.

The bad news could be good news for some of you. Here it is, the bad news is that I saw all the makings for this gift in Wal-mart today at a price of somewhere around $6 for everything you need. "Why is that bad," you ask. Because, I hate Wal-mart. Especially after my No More Grocery Shopping Experience. I HATE Wal-mart. Did I say it strongly enough. So, why did I go in? Dumb stuff like crafty pipe cleaner for a kids art project and an in-car tool kit for my husbands car pool budies. Where else could I get such varied items. Anyway, maybe it's good news, you can get lots of cheap stuff to make cool gifts, even from Wal-mart.

Sister Gift #3 - Homemade Spice Jars Again, I'm lacking original photos of my creative ideas. That's because I have none. (Read that however you think is most appropriate given my poor use of the English language.) These cute spice jars are from IKEA and I plan to fill them with spice blends of my making or purchasing in bulk. Here are a few good ideas of how you could duplicate this process.

Go to your local health food store and buy herb/spices in bulk. Make a blend or keep them as single spices.
Visit this site for ideas on awesome blends you can make in your kitchen. It seems to be a great site for other things as well, spend some time there when you have a minute.
Go to sfherb.com. This is the San Fransisco Herb Company I mentioned in a comment earlier. It's sister company is the Atlantic Spice Co. on the east coast. I love everything I've ever ordered from them and their spices stay good for years.

That's it for now. What are your favorite cheap and easy sister gifts?

Homemade For the Holidays - Ornamental Ideas

2008-12-16T11:16:00.004-07:00

Applesauce ornament from allrecipes.com

Our tree is a patchwork of homemade ornaments. Needless to say, it isn’t elegant or beautiful and there is not a theme or color scheme. There are several homemade ornaments contributed from my childhood (my husband would love to retire them, but I‘m not ready for that). Some were made by extended family members, some by my siblings. The few store bought items came from distant lands or were found as a deeply discounted collection - imagine olive-wood angels next to stuffed-fabric Santas.

Each December at our house we sit down and makes new trimmings for the tree. My memories of Christmas ornament making go back to the year I turned 6. We lived on a farm in Missouri and everything we did to celebrate the season was homemade. That was the year I learned to:

1. Respect a needle while stringing popcorn

2. Coordinate my hands and eyes to make a Christmas count down chain with glue and alternating colored strips of paper

3. Consider services I could give as gifts for each member of my family. This was the year I learned about “Good Fors.”

This Christmas, our ornaments were made from a simple recipe of spiced applesauce. Last year we made origami ornaments, the year before that it was Christmas shapes in tin with a hammer and nails. Further back we used play dough, felt, and craft foam for our festive decorating ideas. You can imagine.

Click here for a tutorial on tin ornaments.
Click to get wrapped up in a fast and festive oragami lesson.

Above are pics of projects we've done in years past. Click the link for the site reference on the photo and step-by-step instructions. Below are photos and instructions for the applesauce ornaments we made this year. My advice:

Choose one good idea and make a bunch. Save the other ideas for another year.

Our tradition is to make our ornaments and send them to our extended family as well as use them for our own decorations. Over the years we’ve ended up with a mixed bag of interesting test projects - these are the ones my husband would love to find a new home for, and treasured homemade memories - the kids refer to them as “ornaments with history.”

Applesauce Ornaments

2 cups applesauce

2 cups cinnamon

Mix applesauce and cinnamon together until it is thick enough to hold a form when cut into cookie cutter shapes. Flatten the mixture on a flat surface and cut into cookie cutter shapes. Make hole with a straw before drying.

Place cookie shapes on a cookie sheet to dry for a few days depending on the size and thickness of the cookies. I sped this process up by drying for 24 hours and baking at 200F for one hour. Bulk cinnamon comes in handy. Add cinnamon, rather than flour to your rolling surface. Dough is stiff but workable. This recipe made 36 ornaments. Use a straw for the hanger hole. Dry for a day, bake for an hour.

Bulk cinnamon comes in handy.

Add cinnamon, rather than flour to your rolling surface. Dough is stiff but workable.

This recipe made 36 ornaments. Use a straw for the hanger hole.

Dry for a day, bake for an hour.

What are your great homemade ornament ideas?

Of Treats and Toys - Batteries Not Included

2008-12-11T06:59:00.004-07:00

Today I have two posts. I was told the info I present here can be overwhelming, so I broke it up a bit for you. Look below for great stuff on fun and games. If that's too much for you, or not what you need, scroll down to find the recipe and how-to on my new favorite holiday treat/neighbor gift.

Homemade for the Holidays - 1 of 2 for Today - Toys

2008-12-11T00:10:00.008-07:00

Since I was six years old I have been chasing the feeling of the Christmas my family spent on a farm in Missouri in 1980. Economics then were not a whole lot different than they are now and that year every gift we gave and received was handmade with tender care. This year we have decided to make gifts for each other. I wanted to share some of what I've found with you.

Here is my grand salute to the games people play, well, kids specifically. I’ll break it up into age groups for you and try to provide links for further instructions. As with most of my posts, there’s not an original idea to be found here, and I am much indebted to the original thinkers in this whose links I share with each item mentioned.

This list of home made toys for kids that goes beyond the classic rag-dolls for girls and wooden trains for boys. Because certain toys are classic, they may not be here. These are just the things I would enjoy making or playing with. If a toy falls into a certain category, it will probably work for older kids, too. One final note on the links here, if a particular site is encouraging you to purchase something, don’t do it. Just look at their idea and make it yourself.

This image came from etsy.com a great place for everything homemade

For Baby -
Zip-lock books
Music Makers
Felt food/animals

Wooden blocks

Image from discountschoolsupply.com

Toddlers -
Playdough

Clothes Pin Can Drop
Colored Macaroni and String
Bean Bags

A familyfun.com matching game

Preschoolers -
Fishing Game
Puppet Play

Matching Game

Funny Putty

This checkers game is from littlebirds.typepad.com

Early Elementary -
Homemade Board Games and Pick up sticks
Jump rope
Checkers
I Spy Bottle

This image came from orientaltrading.com
Older Kids -
Weaving loom
Marshmallow Guns
Home made puzzle
Ultra Bouncy Ball

Here is a great site for lots of old-fashioned toys. Mother Earth News also did the extensive Egg study I sited a while back. These guys are a favorite for simple living.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Do-It-Yourself/1974-11-01/Homemade-Toys.aspx

Let me know what you think of this completely unexhaustive list. Please share your ideas with us. What are you making for the kids in your life this year?

Surviving In Deep Water - Hope Floats

2008-12-09T13:04:00.008-07:00

So, earlier this month when I wrote a post about the virtues of poor people food, I made a reference likening turning your clothes into a flotation device in deep water with making it through the current economic torrent. Whether you’ve lost your job, your retirement or your house, or the financial bail-outs haven‘t succeeded in bailing you out yet, these five steps can make all the difference in your ability to survive and thrive. While these tips could be applied to many money matters, I’m really not qualified to give you financial advice. My goal is to help you keep your head above water with more of your food money staying with you and less of it going to the grocery store.

As promised, here are the steps to surviving in deep water by creating a life-saving device from what you already have. Remember, this is a metaphor.

1. Don’t Panic - Tread water.
This is where you asses your current situation. In the case of groceries, figure out where you are with the food you currently have in you cupboards, pantry, fridge and freezer. Do you have a month’s worth of food, a week, a few days? Make an inventory and the beginnings of a menu from what you find. Remember, calm. Panic will drown you at this point.

The food in my pantry when I started my experiment. This lasted a month and fed 6+ people all month long.

2. Kick off your shoes, they are a impediment to floating and movement.
Where do your weaknesses lie? What is keeping you from achieving your financial goals? For me, it’s waste. Wasted time, wasted money, wasted opportunity. The USDA reports that American consumers waste 26% of the food they buy from grocery stores and restaurants. Are you wasting 26% of your food budget? At this juncture all non-essentials are considered waste, they’ll just drag you down and keep you from moving in the direction you need to go. Be careful in deciding what is imperative (Read on because though you drop the shoes, the laces can still come in handy.) Kicking off your shoes also reminds you to relax. Metaphorically speaking , what are the shoes on your list of grocery items?

3. Take your pants off and modify them to float.

Now that you’ve considered your weaknesses, ponder on your strengths. Before I started my No More Grocery Shopping experiment, I knew my greatest strength in the grocery department was my well stocked pantry combined with my ability to cook cheap and easy food. This is how I stay afloat during hard times. What is one thing you can do right now to prepare for the challenges of the coming meals?

This is the produce I had for a month of No More Grocery Shopping

4. Determine if you have any other items that will help you float such as a shirt, dress, tote or anything else that will hold air.
These are supplements to your strengths. It’s the difference between keeping your head above the water and being able to comfortably float until help arrives. Learn to make everything you can; bread, convenience food, snacks and treats, even toys and gifts. In my case, along with a bunch of staple foods, I make sure I have plenty of chocolate, spices, condiments and dressings. What are do you know how to make from scratch? What do you need to learn?

Fridge and freezer food that kept us going for the better part of five weeks+.

5. Keep socks, bras, belts and shoe laces, these can help tether your flotation device to you. Lose the jewelry and the wallet and anything else that will weigh you down.
As with any new endeavor, there will always be practical ideas to keep in mind. Use the best of what you find, let the rest go. Pick a few things and work on them. Don’t get weighed down by the enormity of things to do and learn. You can survive and thrive if you learn this important principle: Keep what’s useful to you, mostly keep it simple, and let go of the rest.

End Note - After all is said and done, don't forget, despair will sink you quicker than a stone, but hope floats. And, chocolate is an essential part of any survival plan.

Check back Thursday for Homemade Holiday fare including gifts, toys, ornaments and of course cheap and easy holiday recipes.

How Surviving The Current Economic Wave Is Like Learning To Make A Flotation Device With Only The Clothes You're Wearing

2008-12-08T11:22:00.007-07:00

Come back for tomorrow's step-by-step guide. You never know when what you already have will keep you from drowning.

New Posting Plan - Another Longing for Walden

2008-12-07T06:20:00.004-07:00

Okay, if you didn’t already know this, blogs can be pretty consuming. When I began the No More Grocery Shopping Experiment two months ago, I anticipated having lots more free time on my hands. I feel like I do have more time, but filling it with blogging wasn't at the top of my list of what to do with all that time. I wish I could say it’s easy to stay on track with this lifestysle. It's not, and I'm constantly side-tracked.

The challenge with this blog isn’t just writing it. It’s living the current experiment while simulteneously preparing for the next one; then I have to decide what to write, the thing I’m preparing for or the thing I’m in the middle of. This month, for instance, I’ve been trying too many things. I’m simplifying my holidays and recording that experience, and I’m gearing up for a year of No More Grocery Shopping (actually only entering the grocery store once a month for the year) beginning next month. I write a little about both (what I’m doing and what I’m planning to do), but I don’t feel satisfied that I’m giving either aspect adequate attention, never mind the rest of my life and commitments.

So, here’s the plan. I will have new posts every Tuesday and Thursday. If there is a random post in between, good for me, but I won’t plan on it. For those of you who actually read this blog, you’ll know when to expect something new and I’ll be free to do with my time the things I really wanted to do before I started the experiment, namely:

Read Les Misérables(I’m only on page 128 of 1400+)
Write the things I love (not about food storage and grocery shopping)
Nurture myself, my husband and children and other relationships
Further simplify my life and home
A bunch of other stuff I can't remember

Walden has been calling to me for some time now and I think it’s time I go. Like Thoreau, I seek the peace of simpler times, but I don’t want to be cut off completely, I just want to know that we can live a little more self-sufficiently than before. So, expect to hear from me a couple’a times a week. If you need better, wiser, more purposeful, user-friendly and organized ideas than mine, check out the blogs in my list on the side bar. They really are overflowing with good things.

I’ll be back on Tuesday. Peace and plenty to all of you.
Love,
Mariah

Lesson 3B - Simplify Your Lists - Look at your shopping list

2008-12-05T16:57:00.004-07:00

For this No More Grocery Shopping experiment I decided I wanted to cut my time and money spent on acquiring and preparing food in half. That inspired me to look at other areas I would like to liberate myself from. For instance, I tossed my daily to do list months ago in favor of writing things on the calendar. I do forget things occasionally, but oh well, I’m not tethered to a list. Another list I simplified is in the area of gift giving. And, I made my menu easier to call to mind (hmm, Multi-cultural cuisine or Soup Night). But it all started with a master grocery shopping list and this lesson:

Make your grocery shopping list work for you.

As part of the simplification process, decide what you want your life and days to look like. Do you want to be bound or do want to be free? Does your list and the things on it hold you captive or offer you freedom?

2 Tips to Put You on the Path of No More Grocery Shopping

(or at least keep you out of the store 28 days of an average month)

1. Start with a master list. This is a list of all the things you buy and eat regularly. Go through your fridge, pantry and cupboards to see what those things might be.

Here is a really cool, highly commercialized interactive grocery shopping list creator.
http://www.scottcommonsense.com/Tools/GroceryList/Tool.aspx?WT.srch=1&WT.mc_id=7667343&iq_id=7667343

Here’s one that is not interactive and doesn’t require you to sign up.
http://www.heart4home.net/downloads/master_grocery_list.pdf

2. Make a list for non-food and non-perishable items and buy in bulk. This list could include:

Non-Food Items
Hygiene things - tooth paste, hair care, skin care, soap, deodorant, personal care stuff
Paper goods - toilet paper, paper towels, napkins, paper plates & cups, plastic utensils
Cleaning Supplies - household cleaning stuff, laundry soap, dish soap & dishwasher detergent
First Aid Supplies - alcohol, peroxide, bandaids & bandages, latex (or other) gloves, q-tips, cotton balls, etc.

Non-Perishable Foods
Flour
Sugar
Oil
Dressings/Condiments
Herbs/Spices
Grains
Beans and Sproutable seeds
Pasta
Canned produce

This list could go on and on and I could say a lot about each item. I‘ll spare you that for now, but click here for a list of good long term storage foods.

When you finish your list, print out as many copies as you need for the year of shopping. Then circle, check or otherwise note items you need before you head for the store. Because I’m going to do the No More Grocery Shopping Experiment next year I have some goals for what that will look like for me. If I typically shop for food every two weeks, and want to cut that time in half, I’ll plan to go only once a month all year. So, I’ll make 12 copies of my food lists. For my non-food/non-perishables list, I plan to go from buying those things every-other month 3 times a year in January, May and September. So, that’s 3 copies of that list.

When it’s time to figure out what to eat and shop for in the month, look at your master menu and your master shopping list. Decide what you have, what you need, and most importantly, what you could probably do with out or make from scratch. Check the items on your list you’ll need to purchase and go for it.

My challenge to you is to use the master menu and master shopping list to cut your food acquisition/preparation time in half. Do you think you can do it?

Two Amazing Blogs

2008-12-05T10:59:00.002-07:00

Today I just need to share the links to two fabulous blogs.

The first belongs to Vashti, one of our frequent commenters here at No More Grocery Shopping, and is centered around her mission to help brides in South Africa. She is looking for donated wedding dresses to lend to poor South African brides. She's already gathered several, tough she just started a few days ago. Go see her project at Rich Bride Poor Bride.

The other belongs to my little sis and favorite tree-hugger, legal indoor grower up North, Katie. You can not believe the abundance of produce she has grown right in her cute and tiny little house in the last few weeks. Go visit her at Victory Gardens of Oregon.

I have another lesson post coming soon. I just wanted to share these while they were fresh.

An Obscenely Long Post - Lesson 3A - Simplify Your Lists - Start with Your Menu

2008-12-02T15:09:00.010-07:00

Happy kids ready to eat. Leave it to the littlest to make faces over the food.

If you couldn’t tell by now, I am a rambling writer, meandering around wherever my last epiphany ended. For that reason, keep in mind that I’m not sharing these lessons I’m learning in order of importance. Instead, I’m sharing them in the order that they occur to me, and while I know this is not the most logical, orderly way to proceed, I can’t help but stop to note the concepts as they come, even if it means backtracking later. You guys are all along for the ride on this experiment. Occasionally, I clean house and put posts into labeled categories on the side bar. If you’re looking for something in particular, I hope you find it there. If not, email me at nomoregroceryshopping@gmail.com.

Now, after your long, patient wait through my sprawling scrawl, I’ll get on with it. In my month of minimizing holiday mayhem, here is lesson three -

Simplify Your Lists - Start with Your Menu

We already talked about the liberation that comes from limiting your expenditures, but what are your lists? Here’s a look at one of my more complicated lists, my menu, and how I‘ve simplified it.

My menu used to be a mess. It was a long list of all the stuff we’d eat in a month of dinners and I’d plug one meal in for each day of the month, maybe hitting some of them twice, but always feeling overwhelmed by the enormity of the list and the inventory of food that accompanied it. A few years ago, I decided to simplify my process. To do this, I had to go back to that messy list and turn it into a master list. Then I assigned a category like Pasta Night or Bread & Salad Night to each evening of the week. Click here to see my big list of main meals and how I’ve categorized everything.

Now, rather than plugging meals in all over the calendar, each night of the week has it’s own theme. The order may be slightly different each week but the outcome is the same. We eat simpler meals that require very little fore-thought. Now, my week looks something like this.

Sunday - Pasta Night
I am Sicilian and we love our pasta. Almost every Sunday we make up a couple’a pounds of pasta, a couple’a types of sauces, a big loaf of bread or foccacia and a giant salad that never gets eaten all the way. Sometimes there’s meat, sometimes the whole meal is vegetarian. Always, we feed a small army, work up a hearty appetite, and share lots of good laughs in the process. If you’ve ever heard the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen,” you can imagine my house on Sunday’s.

Monday - Soup or Salad Night (depending on the season)
Here we choose the soup we have ingredients for or feel like having that night. Sometimes our choice is motivated by the leftovers in the fridge, or the cream that is going to expire in a few days. When we do salad as the main course we make a salad with lots of colors in it besides green. Sometimes we add bacon or chicken, other times we go vegan. Whether we have soup or salad, I always try to make some sort of bread, a nice wheat or corn bread, tortillas or scones, to go on the side and give us a little more substance.

Tuesday - Pasta Night Replayed
Sometimes it’s leftovers from Sunday’s meal, other times it’s a completely new concoction, but almost every week we have pasta more than once. Sometimes I serve bread on the side, sometimes a veggie like braised green beans, always there is a green salad to go with all our carbs.

Wednesday - Multi-Cultural Cuisine (other than Italian)
We love Thai, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, Japanese and European traditional foods we’ve Americanized. We choose from the list, depending on what we have and what we’d like and that’s that.

Thursday - Potato Bar or Sandwich Night (again, depending on the season)
Again, we always try to provide plenty of fresh color to counter the copious amounts of cheese, bacon, butter and sour cream we smother our potatoes in.

Friday - Fun Food and LeftoversUsually I’ve used leftovers in other meals, but occasionally we have a surplus and we’ll have those along side one of our favorite fun foods so we have our own sort of smorgasbord. Sometimes we have pizza (frozen or homemade) or buffalo wings, sometimes burgers and fries. Always quick and easy fun foods.

Saturday - Date Night
Kids eat kids food like ramen or mac & cheese. Mom and Dad eat out.
So, to reiterate the simplification process: Make a master menu and put individual items into categories. Now, give each night of the week an assigned category and go from there. Have at least one vegetarian meal and one soup or salad night. A well stocked pantry makes this process easier and more enjoyable.

Maybe you have an easier way of doing the whole meal planning process. How do you do it and what makes it work for you? According to the USDA we spend almost an hour preparing and cleaning up dinner each day. What if we could cut that time in half? What would you do with an extra 3+ hours in a week? Share your ideas with us we could all use a little more time.

Bargain Brags and Lesson 2 - Liberate Yourself, Limit Your Expenditures

2008-12-01T12:59:00.009-07:00

I saved $45 at Bath and Body Works on Black Friday!

BargainBrags(.blogspot.com) is a blog my sister-in-law, Tiff, maintains. This little vignette belongs on her blog, but I wanted to share it here. It was KC’s birthday on Black Friday. Actually, she was born on Black Friday, but I had no idea that it even held that title until this year. Anyway, we got back from our trip late Friday evening, but not too late to hit the mall for my promised gift to KC. She got her ears pierced and it was a great adventure. She is such a cool girl, she was hardly even nervous. After we chose her first pair of earrings and they were forced through her little lobes, we decided to hike upstairs to Bath and Body Works. There they had several lovely items on sale; items I’ve had my eye on for a while and have waited for a sale on.

Wallflowers are little plug-in scented oil diffusers wit h delightful fragrances to choose from. They were on sale for $5.

After some deliberating, I chose 3 Wallflower starter sets and 3 refill packs at. Not too bad, $30. I made my selections, and went to stand in line. While I was there, I found the softest socks in the world. They were made with aloe and only cost $5, the same price of every other item in my stack of stuff, I wanted to give them as gifts and chose 3 from the shelf. While I waited in that tedious line (beginning to understand the term Black Friday) I began to consider each item in my arms. As I thought about the things I thought I wanted so much, I remembered the dozen or so scented candles waiting to be burned at home. Additionally, I have a closet full of essential oils waiting to be used in creative new ways to fill the same purpose the Wallflowers would. I thought about our financial goals, and while every item I held only cost $5, all together they added up to $45 and that was a modest sum. So, guess how I saved $45 dollars at Bath & Body Works. I left all of my stuff on the table next to me in line. That was it. So, there's your lesson #2:

Liberate yourself by limiting your expenditures.

This morning I went through my closet and found that I have the makings of some great gifts. My husband has been wanting a bamboo reed scented oil diffuser for his office. I could make several from what I have here at home. We are trying to make, or recycle, at least one gift for each member of our family. This can be my home made gift to him. More on that later. Now to the moral of the story.

The gift I'm giving my husband for his office. It will only cost me a couple of bucks to make it.

Sometimes all we need to do is hold the things we think we need and then consider the things we already have that could work just as well. Sometimes we need to think about the time and energy the purchase of that item will cost you in the end, how many hours would you or your spouse have to work to come up with that sum. Even if it’s only one hour, what you do with one free hour? Just a thought. I have done this exercise a few times. Never deliberately, but it always teaches me something.

So, that’s to do with holiday gifts or sale items. What about your grocery shopping list? What about all the parties and errands and people to see to this season? Is there a way to limit your expenditures in time and money to make room for the things that really fill you? What would you do with a liberated hour purchased by your ability to limit your list of stuff to do and things to buy?

Lesson One - Make a List

2008-11-30T01:47:00.006-07:00

A few of the crew on Thanksgiving at the homestead. We could call this one

Three Bald Guys and a Piece of Pie, but I don't think they'd laugh.

We did go away for Thanksgiving. We had a great trip and all was well when we got home. I did learn a few important principles on our journey, and since I said the purpose of this post would be to help minimize the mayhem of the holiday scene, I figured I’d share my discoveries with you. This exercise is meant to help keep you out of the grocery store, as much as possible, and cause you to consider what is really important to you this time of year. The theme is SIMPLIFY and learn from my mistakes, I made them for your benefit. So, here goes:

Do like Santa - Make a list and check it twice

Lists are great, they can act as a blueprint for your best laid plans. Whether your making a trip to the grocery store or to your in-laws for three days of family festivities, the list can save you time, money and grief. Once your list is made, you need to look it over critically and carefully. Contemplate the cost/benefit ratio of each item. Do you really get as much pleasure from your pumpkin-puffed-pastries as you do pain in purchasing the required supplies, unloading your purchases at home, putting all the items away, getting them all out again, assembling your recipe, waiting for it to come out of the oven, etc, etc, etc. If you can say the balance tips in favor of benefit for each item, keep it. Otherwise, ditch it.

Also, lists can provide a reality check to your pie-in-the-sky schemes - Here’s a list of food three families thought would be great for our Thanksgiving meal, followed by what really happened. Remember we were feeding 14 people the all-American meal symbolic of our prosperity and abundance, but also note, this was for one meal:
2 turkeys
1 ham
10 pounds mashed potatoes
8 streuseled sweet potatoes
4 dozen rolls
Stuffing
Gravy
Green bean casserole
Relish tray - carrots, tomatoes, celery, olives, pickles, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers
Cheese tray - cheese roll with 3 kinds of crackers
Green salad
4 pumpkin pies
2 banana cream pies
1 apple pie
1 pecan pie
1 pan of fudge
2 plates of cookies

Are you exhausted yet, because this is the scaled back version. We had to talk my mother-in-law down from the ledge when we discouraged her from including several additional items, including time-honored treats and stove-top specialties. So, making the list did help us before hand. The problem is, I didn’t put it all on one piece of paper. Our list was broken up into three, you bring this, I’ll bring that, she’ll do the other stuff. That was a mistake. Because our list wasn’t consolidated, we ended up way more than we needed. I’ll know better next time. I’m sure you’re laughing because you would have seen this coming. Just remember, there are all kinds of learners in this world, and sadly I often have to learn the hard way, but you don’t.

Here’s what happened with all of that food.
2 turkeys - we fully consumed one of them, but it took us Thanksgiving dinner and lunch the next day to do it. The other turkey was cooked, carved and sent back to the freezer, where it had begun it’s short life in grandma’s kitchen.
1 ham - I never even saw it, thank goodness.
10 pounds mashed potatoes - we actually peeled, boiled, mashed and ate all of these in one meal
6 streuseled sweet potatoes - delicious recipe contributed by my sis-in-law, sadly we only ate two of them (they were huge) and I don’t know what happened to the rest.
4 dozen rolls - these had a hard time in the high-altitude setting we were in. Still, we ate about half of them, the rest were left for other meals.
Stuffing - we made the perfect amount and had no leftovers or waste - 1 box of Mrs. Cubbisons along with croutons made from one small loaf of whole wheat bread.
Gravy - perfect amount, again
Green bean casserole - we ate about half of this
Relish tray - carrots, tomatoes, celery, olives, pickles, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers - we forgot half of the veggies for this back at home. Let’s just say that protein and starch were central to the meal.
Cheese tray - cheese roll with 3 kinds of crackers - this was a yummy before dinner snack, but we only had, and needed, one box of crackers, I brought half of the cheese roll home with me.
Green salad - I forgot the lettuce, so we didn’t have one.
4 pumpkin pies - between breakfast on Thanksgiving day (my tradition), dessert after dinner, and breakfast again the next day, we only ate two of these.
2 banana cream pies - we ate half of one.
1 apple pie - My Caleb ate about half of this pie by himself, and everyone else helped him with the rest.
1 pecan pie - I ate about ¼ of this pie, and a couple of others had a piece each. I left 2 pieces behind with longing backwards glances.
1 pan of fudge - two pieces were taken.
2 plates of cookies - who knows, I lost track of how much everyone was getting, but it did seem like there was at least one full plate of cookies left.

Alright, no more preaching, no more soap boxes. Just throw out the old adage "Make a list and stick to it." Replace it with the saying about Santa. There is wisdom in “making a list and checking it twice.” Learning to discern between what's naughty and nice for your time and money can make all the difference this holiday season.

Thanksgiving Break

2008-11-26T13:49:00.003-07:00

If you saw my previous version of this post, you know we have big Thanksgiving festivities going on. Feeding 14 people again, this time for three days. So, I'm going to be off line for a few days. My next post will be on how to minimize Holiday mayhem. Look for it on Sunday, if not before. I'm thankful for so many things, including all of you who help me to keep my head above water in sometimes troubled times.

Peace and plenty to you and your families.

Mariah

A Promised Recipe with Powdered Parmesan

2008-11-24T22:08:00.010-07:00

Don't try this at home.

Here’s what happened with that meal I mentioned in a previous post. After I committed to make a meal for 14 people, I realized I was out of some key ingredients. Since my No more Grocery Shopping experiment began a month and a half ago, I have gained a healthy disdain for the grocery store. So, I was determined not to run in to town for a few items when I knew I could make do with what we had.

Well, we did make due, but I have to admit, Bren’s Famous Alfredo was somewhat diminished in it’s deliciousness because we used canned milk. The powdered Parmesan wasn’t a problem, but evaporated milk did not create the greatest flavor. However, once we mixed the alfredo with a zesty marinara, the results were surprisingly good and the meal was a success, complete with compliments to the chefs from the entire family we shared with. We’re still in search of a fabulous alfredo recipe made entirely from food storage items, but until we find it, we’ll take what we got as good enough for now. Here are some photos of the fun, and recipes to go along with them.

Powdered Parmesan Alfredo
1 12oz. can evaporated milk
½ cup powdered parmesan
1 Tbsp. flour (I would omit this)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. kosher salt (this is my favorite salt)
Since we aren’t using fresh garlic or sautéing anything, you pretty much stir this all up in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until it reached it’s desired thickness. I thought we’d need the flour for thickness, but ours ended up being too thick, so don’t do it, it will probably improve the flavor if you leave it out. Also, I think it would have been great to add some pesto spices to it, a little basil and maybe oregano, but we were going for the perfect food storage alfredo, so we stayed with our purist intentions on that.
Zesty Marinara
1 26 oz can spaghetti sauce
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
1 Tbsp. dehydrated roasted garlic slices (my new favorite additive)
1 Tbsp. dried Italian seasoning (not pictured)
1 tsp. kosher salt (not pictured)
½ tsp. red pepper flakes (not pictured)
Again, nothing to saute. I threw it all in a large sauce pan and brought to the splatter phase. Then I turned the heat down, covered it up and didn’t look at it again much until it was time to serve. I did taste it once or twice and was thrilled at how nicely the garlic softened and flavored the whole sauce with a lovely roasted flavor. Mmm. This is a simple and tasty food storage recipe.

Here are the two sauces side by side.

The final product garnished with fresh basil.

We stirred the alfredo into the pasta and then topped it with the marinara. It was a great combination. Even though the white sauce couldn't stand alone, my family was still happy with the results and would eat this meal again.

Do’s and Don’ts of Food Storage Sharing

2008-11-23T11:49:00.003-07:00

Alright everyone. I know some of you read this in hopes of finding something useful, only to have those hopes dashed when you find my aimless ramblings instead. But, I have to say, this blog evolves as I go. It may seem pointless and meandering at times, but I think it is all working toward one great purpose and that is helping me get straight in my self and my shelves what I need to help my family, and others, thrive in hard times. So, this week was about using my food storage to help a friend, making sure produce was a part of my life and always remembering to wear protective eye gear when playing with pellet guns. I hope you found something useful here. Here is the promised list of do's and don'ts of food storage sharing:

Do share what you have with friends in need.
Don’t try something new when the need is great, unless you are ready with a Plan B.
Do find creative ways to get around making one more trip to the store.
Don’t insist on traditional recipes tasting exactly the same once you’ve given them a food storage modification.
Do persist in getting it right, eventually it will be good enough.
Don’t keep all of your great frugal food ideas to yourself. Share them, and help the rest of us avoid a possible food storage fiasco.
Do borrow from other neighbors and give them a chance to help as well. (Bren would have used fresh cream for his alfredo, instead of canned milk, and it was offered, but I refused. Hmm. What did I say about those in need refusing help?)

Pellet Guns, Chicken Pox and Pasta Sauce

2008-11-22T19:00:00.006-07:00

For health and strength and daily food we praise thy name, O Lord.

One of my best friends, Liz, had a couple of slight catastrophes this week. First, her oldest boy’s right eye had a run in with an air soft gun pellet - which, contrary to its name was not soft, so it did some moderate and hopefully temporary damage. After spending hours in the urgent care, ER and ophthalmologist’s office, she was told to bring him home and have him lay low for a week. Yeah right, try to keep a 12 year-old-boy, who isn’t really sick, still for 7 days straight. After the optical incident, her oldest daughter, also 12, woke covered in spots, chicken pox actually, and the rest of the siblings were all carted off to the doctor to update vericella vaccinations. After she spent the better part of two days in doctors’ offices I told her I’d bring her dinner.
“No way.” she protested. “No way, Mariah. There are 8 of us.”

“What on earth, Liz. It‘s not a big deal.” I said. I was surprised by her downright refusal, but determined to soften her resolve. People who need help often refuse a first offer. I know I do. I lived in Japan for a number of years, and there it’s customary to refuse any offer three times before accepting, this is not a custom I advise keeping when there is a true need.

“It is a big deal, and I don’t want you to worry about it,” she argued.

I decided to switch to Sicialian tactics, “Don’ worry about it? What’s a matter, you don’t like our cooking? You don’t believe in families helping families?” I laid on my heaviest Brooklyn accent and she laughed. I nearly had her and was wondering what might tip the scales besides my bullied insistence.

“But, there are just way too many of us here. It’s too much to cook for your family and mine.” Whatever. I think she forgot that we routinely feed at least a dozen people every Sunday in our home. I knew this was the point where I had to tell her what I was going to make that would be “no big deal.” I was thinking of my well stocked pantry and then the answer came.

“Pasta, Liz. I’m just going to make pasta. It’ll be great - quick and easy, feeds a lot of people.” My confidence was the clincher and I sealed the proposal with a promise of Bren’s famous alfredo and a mean marinara.

I’ll finish the story in my next posts. There is an important produce tie in, a couple’a frugal food recipes and a serious list of food storage do’s and don’ts. In the mean time, ponder this:

What do you have in your pantry right now that could feed 14 people on a moment’s notice?

Did I chicken out by picking pasta? Think about it and send me your comments. We’d all love the ideas.

A Plethora of Produce

2008-11-19T20:07:00.007-07:00

I bought all of this at Sunflower Farmer's Market. It is mostly organic and mostly locally grown. I spent $21.28 cents on the whole lot. This was an excellent find and a great value. My second frugal food lifetyle tip for you is:

Learn to make produce a vital part of your daily diet.

Here are 5 No More Grocery Shopping tips for stretching your grocery budget, keeping you out of the grocery store, and placing produce in your Best Frugal Foods category:

Buy produce that's in season, on sale and build your menu around that - Duh. This is a no brainer. All of this was on sale, that's why I got so much of it.
Determine your most acceptable price per pound/item and never pay more than that - For instance, if the best price you've paid this year for apples is $0.77/pound, but a good deal is still to be had at $0.87/pound, then always look for the best deal price, but never pay more than $0.87/pound for apples. Most produce is much cheaper than meat, consider your pound for pound costs when designing your menu. This concept can be carried over to all grocery purchases and is key to stretching your grocery budget.
When you find your best deal of the year buy a bunch and learn to preserve it - You can freeze or dry most produce items. I'll do a tutorial later on how to best do that, just know you can and stock up when the price is right.
Learn to properly store your produce - Again, Ill follow up with a tutorial someday. Just know that repackaging certain produce when you get it home will preserve it's freshness longer. For instance, leafy veggies last longer when you put a paper towel in with them. This keeps the moisture off the leaves and they last longer. Some people swear by Lettuce Keeperslike the ones in this link.
Plant a garden - "What?" you ask. Winter is coming on in the northern hemisphere, gardening season is over. Well take a look at what my favorite tree hugger up north is doing. She lives in Oregon, so the use of special (and not necessarily expensive) lights helps supplement their lack of sunshine, but where my climate is bright even in the cold, a sunny window will work just as well. Again, look for another tutorial to come.

Bonus Tip: Join a CSA - this is Community Supported Agriculture. It's good for your budget, it's in keeping with the No More Grocery Shopping Concept, it's usually organic, it supports the environment as well as your community and has many other benefits you might not be able to reap from your own little garden alone.

And Now...The Whole Wheat Bread Recipe You've All Been Waiting For

2008-11-18T05:13:00.004-07:00

Mike's Favorite Whole Wheat Bread Recipe - Modified
Click here to view this recipe without all the distracting photos I hate blogger's terrible formatting tools, add that to the fact that I am not a photographer and we've got ourselves a REALLY ugly post. Oh well, function over form I guess.
Here's the recipe:
2Tbs. dry, active yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 c warm water
Mix together and set aside.

Use water the temperature of your skin.

Yeast mixture after 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix:
1/3 c oil & 1/3 c honey(measure the oil and honey together pouring the honey on top of the oil helps it come out of the measuring cup more easily)
1 Tbs. salt
2 1/2 Tbs. vinegar (I think this is the secret to this light, fluffy wheat bread)
2 c warm water
3 1/2 c whole wheat flour (I use white wheat another secret to light flavor and texture - also, this is only half of your flour you're going to need)

Add the dissolved yeast to the bread mixture and stir for 7min. to get the gluten working. Let rest for 10 minutes, then add:
3 ½ c whole wheat flour

Wet ingredients and salt

Add first cups of flour

Mix flour and wet ingredients.

Add yeast, mix another little bit to get gluten working.

This is what it looks like before you add the final cups of flour

Mix and/or knead for 10 minutes. Dough should still be tacky, this will make it lighter in texture. Cover and let rise in a warm place for at least 15 minutes. Roll out onto floured surface, shape into loaves. Put into greased bread pans, rise until doubled in size. Bake at 350 for 20-30 minutes.

Risen dough, about an hour later.

Rolled out, getting ready to be made into loaves.

Ready to rise.

After 30 minutes.

Another 30 minutes later.

Wow! I think it was more work to document this labor of love than it was to actually make the bread. Don't be discouraged by the photos and the steps in the process. It all takes about 2 1/2 hours, but you can do lots of other things during mixing, rising and baking times. This is not a recipe that enslves, it liberates. Try it and let me know what you think. If you live near me, come over and we'll make this recipe together.

Do you have an easier recipe that still promises great results? We'd love for you to share.

And the winner is......

2008-11-18T04:39:00.005-07:00

Vashti!

Congratulations, Vashti. You have won our very first give away prize. Wahoo!

I've actually already contacted Vashti and am in the process of getting her prize to her. She let me know it was okay to share her info with you here. I think you all would be inspired and amazed at her work in South Africa. This is from her bio, click the link to read more:

About Me
I have a fantastic husband and 2 adopted little boys, Joe is 3 and Jesse is 2. I grew up in England but now live in South Africa. This Blog is about the things that I love most in life.

These post on Vahti's blog will give you a sense of her life's miracles and mission:
http://littlefingersandfrosting.blogspot.com/2008/11/our-family.html
http://littlefingersandfrosting.blogspot.com/2008/10/me-and-mo.html

Go read her blog and leave her a congratulatory comment.

Oh, yeah. Here's her AWARD WINNING recipe. She's even converted it to measurements I can understand. Thank you, Vashti.

Yummy Pumpkin Bread

INGREDIENTS
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

The Daily Grind - Part I

2008-11-17T10:23:00.000-07:00

When it comes to learning the ins and outs of frugal food and food storage in general, I have to say that I'm glad I've got my best friend with me on the journey. He is far more patient and persistent than I am. He is my handsome, handy husband and he inspired me to figure this process out with him. Here's how it happened.

A couple of years ago, our good friend and neighbor, Mike, brought us a lovely loaf of whole wheat bread just before he and his family moved to another state. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. I’d made whole wheat bread many times before and had never had such simple and satisfying results. All of my previous wheat bread recipes produced loaves that were heavy and hardy, with an overwhelming flavor of yeasty wheatiness. But, this bread was fair in color, light in weight and texture, and unassuming in its ability to please the palate. After receiving assurance that it truly was a 100% whole wheat bread recipe, observing our kids quickly consume it and ask for more, and contemplating our previous attempts, Don resolved to acquire the recipe, learn to make it, and add it to our repertoire of every day food storage recipes.

Don was bit by the food storage bug just before we received that blessed loaf of bread, and it made him a ready student when the teacher arrived. We had several hundred pounds of wheat in our food storage; more than we ever thought we'd need or use, and he was determined to learn to use it. So, he pulled out the wheat grinder (see below) my grandparents had used decades ago and given us as a wedding gift, dusted it off and figured out how to use it. It was a trial and error attempt, based on my misty childhood memories and his ingenuity, and it was messy at first. Remember the powdered milk pics, it was like that only with wheat flour dust, and it covered a much larger area. But, he’s persisted and perfected the process and we eat delicios bread and pastas every week as a result of his efforts. Here he is grinding wheat with Hannah and before and after pics of the process.

Begin with an empty bucket, lined with a plastic bag

Set the antique grinder on the bucket and DON'T bump it.

Pull the plastic up around the grinder. This saves ALOT of cleanup time.

Sit down in your jammies and let the grinding begin. Here's the miller and his daughter.

40 minutes later.

How do you grind your grains and what do you make with them? Do you use whole wheat in your cooking? If not, what do you use to add nutrients and substance to your food storage plan? Do you want or need a review of grinders and/or grains? Leave a comment, let me know, your wish is my command. Look for Mike’s Whole Wheat Bread recipe in the next post.

A Lifestyle Change

2008-11-16T07:45:00.008-07:00

My next posts will be ideas on how to sustain the principles of No More Grocery Shopping year round. By following the frugal food plan I've learned in preparation for and execution of my experiment, you will reap the benefits of No More Grocery Shopping without actually having to STOP going to the store.

But first, a frugal food lifestyle suggestion for you:

Learn to make the best bread you can and make it once a week.

Maybe your best bread is tortillas, maybe it's corn bread, or a hardy farm bread. Whatever it is, perfect it. Buy your ingredients on sale, stock up so you have them always on hand, and start making your bread at least once a week.

What is your best bread?

Watch for the World's Greatest Whole Wheat Bread Recipe, coming soon.

But, before I share mine, what is yours? Send the recipe by tonight and you will be entered to win our giveaway! Or, wait till it's convenient for you and send it as a comment. If breadmaking became a vital life skill, how would you survive and thrive?

What? Who has $1000 to save on groceries anyway?

2008-11-13T20:51:00.006-07:00

This is a $1000 bill printed in 1890, today it's worth $2.3 mil. How much is your $1000 worth?

I didn't have $1000 laying around to spend, or save on groceries, but somehow I did it anyway. I'm sorry to back track, but I have some documentation that just needs to be done. I've been reviewing financial statements and was amazed to see how much money I actually saved last month. I knew I needed to save money, robbing Peter to pay Paul is not my favorite game, so that's why I did the experiment in the first place. Before I started I figured the grocery budget for my family of 6 was about $600. Remember, I have four kids, including 2 growing boys who seem to be bottomless pits, and a husband who is all about eating lots of fresh produce. So, the first $600 I saved is a gimme. I didn't go to the store, I saved all that money. But, where did all the other money come from? Or, better stated, where did it all go in the previous months? Several places. It turns out that No More Grocery Shopping had budgetary benefits beyond my food funds. Here's what I found. Because I didn't go to the grocery store:

I saved an easy $100 on gas. That is comparing to the months when gas was near $4/gal.

I saved another $100+ on food items that didn't start out on my list but still ended up in my cart.

I saved $100+ on non-food items that I didn't buy because I wasn't at the store.

I saved $100 on stuff I might have bought because I was out-and-about.

Remember, the point isn't to never go grocery shopping again, but, what would you with $1000 saved in a month or two?

A Great Beginning and a GIVEAWAY!

2008-11-10T14:15:00.006-07:00

So, here’s the idea. I have collected recipes, menus, shopping lists, food storage inventories and other resources over the years that pertain to the idea of frugal food and simpler living. But, I don’t feel like my knowledge alone is quite adequate. This is a time for seeking new solutions. And, in the face of a plethora of problems and social ills I want to focus on a new kind of plenty. I want to find the abundance in everyday that I experienced in my month of no more grocery shopping.

Desperate times call for desperate measures. Here’s where you come in.

I want to give you the best books on my book shelf. These are books that have inspired me to live a life of abundance every day. One of the first books to help me on my path is this one -

Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two-Income Economy

I bought this book with money I found in a pair of maternity jeans I'd worn with my first pregnancy. We had recently moved into our first home, dropped one income (mine) and found out we were expecting our second baby. We were so poor…(How poor were we?)…we were so poor that we spent a significant portion of our time fruitlessly digging for change in the lower recesses of our couches and car seats so we could scrounge up enough money for a diet coke. (I know, I just blew it on the sensitivity bit again. People in poverty do not buy diet coke). Anyway, it was a huge adjustment for our family to have our household income cut in half. Maybe you know what I mean. This book gave me some awesome ideas on how to play better defense with what we did have coming in. Click the title link to read a review and get an idea of what it’s about.

Why am I telling you this?

Want to put this little book on your shelf? Send an email with your best “frugal food” recipe, I’ll compile them in the order they’re received and a winner will be chosen by a random number generator. I’ll send it anywhere in the world and will be happy to hear how you like it. Just send one recipe, I’ll be having weekly drawings, so watch for the next recipe request. You are entered to win even if I don’t immediately post your recipe. The contest ends at midnight, Mountain Time, Sunday, November 16, 2008.

Here's my email: mariahmama@gmail.com
Come out, come out, where ever you are!

Eggsperiment

2008-11-10T10:55:00.002-07:00

This is a great article documenting egg preservation. I presented it in a previous post and sited it as sent by my sister, my favorite tree hugger up north. She found this and is having great success with her own chickens and eggs and wanted to share with the rest of us. Thanks, Katie.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-Food/1977-11-01/Egg-Refrigeration-Experiment.aspx

You'll be amazed and relieved by how thorough it is. A ton of work you don't have to experiment on yourself. What do you think of this?

A Plentiful Portion of Poor People Food

2008-11-10T10:30:00.008-07:00

A new theme has overtaken me. Why the rally cry, “No more Mac and Cheese” and references to Poor People Food? I’ve had a flashback, a sense of déjà vu. I remember calling my sister, Jen, a few years ago and asking, “Can you give me your best menu ideas of poor people food? We are really scraping bottom and I need to know what you guys ate when you had no money?” We were sailing through rough seas and I was sinking in my murky musings of being consigned to a fate of mac and cheese meals sided with tater-tots and catsup. I needed crucial, creative help in the one area of our financial plan I had most control over; our food budget. Maybe it’s today’s economic climate, maybe it’s the close calls we’ve had financially in the last several months, maybe it’s the fact that I have a lot of friends, neighbors and family members out of work right now, but these days, I am inclined to recall hard times and hold them forward as talismans of faith for a brighter future. I’ve had a need for nourishment in lean times, in my childhood, in my early marriage, and in my recent past, and have seen that need arise again and again in others around me, so, I want to see if I can’t pull some resources together to fill it, at least in theory.

As I write this, and you read, I want you to know I am aware that there is profusion of true poverty and suffering in the world, deeper and wider than anything I have ever experienced personally. I don’t mean to make light of that grief in my reference to “poor people food”. Even as we get and gain, there is a glut of hunger and despair in our society. Maybe you have felt these sensations in your own life; I know I have. Maybe you are struggling through them right now. If you are engulfed in the tumult and trial of your own oceans, there is not much comfort in the fact that a lot of people are treading water along with you. When you are in over your head, it doesn’t matter who else is swimming, unless they have a life vest to throw around your neck to replace the weight that pull you down. I don’t have a life vest, but I do know how to make my clothes into a flotation device (just for fun, see here) and this might help you keep your head above water until real help arrives.

Jen and I making some our favorite frugal food; corn tortillas for tacos.

My sister had some great solutions for me when I called her all those years ago. I’d like to pass along some of what she and others have shared with me over the years. Again, great aspirations from me. The best laid plans that have so many occasions to go awry. Look for the next post to see how you could benefit from helping the rest of us.

Top 10 Things I’ve Learned This Month

2008-11-08T22:40:00.005-07:00

10. Powdered milk is best mixed first in a pitcher, then poured into a milk jug. Click here to see why.

9. Waste is an unfortunate American way of life. I took a note from my sis-in-law’s book one day and scraped all the DEE-SCKUSTING leftovers off of everyone’s plate. The resulting pile of food was appalling, as was the echo of my mother’s voice coming out of my mouth, questioning “Do you know there are starving children in Africa?” Watching portion sizes on kids plates (as well as your own) can help keep waste (and waists) under control.

8. People are generous and willing to share - I received a gift wrapped package of dishwasher tabs from my friend Liz. My sister and brother-in-law donated, shared and loaned more items than I can list here. I borrowed onions and was given tomatoes twice. Self-reliance does not work if you don’t also rely on God and others close to you when things get really tough. For example, I was able to call Donna for advice with the morning moo fiasco and an anonymous onion and some tomatoes showed up at my door , like manna from heaven, when I had nothing fresh to add to my Mexican meal of tortillas, meat and olives.

7. Going to the store without a clear plan is like going to college without a major; it takes you a lot longer and costs a lot more than it should. Believe me, I’ve done both.

6. Cold cereal is one of the ultimate fast food, but it works optimally when you have milk to go with it.

5. Hot chocolate is the best breakfast beverage - It’s filling, covers your dairy serving for the morning, betters any breakfast food, warms you from the inside out.

4. The best laid plans often go awry. For this blog, I hoped (as I know many of you did) to post daily meal plans, menus, recipes and other useful information. Ha, ha, ha. It was too much to keep with. So, instead you got a lot of irrational rambling that persists even now. In my defense, I’m still trying to get out from under my mountain of laundry generated on our three-day outdoor survival excursion. I’m nearly there, but we keep wearing clothes, so I never seem to see the bottom of the bins.

3. If you really want to learn to live off of your food storage, on a budget, or survive during tough times there are a lot more qualified people to help you do that. Here are their blogs/websites:
http://everydayfoodstorage.blogspot.com/
http://www.myfoodstoragedeals.blogspot.com/
http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/index1.htm

2. Buying groceries once, at the beginning of the month and never going back (except for my previously confessed cheats) saved me several hundred dollars. Money is a definite motivator in convincing me to repeat and improve upon our experiment.

1. There are bigger and better things to do with the time saved from running to the grocery store. I was able to:

Begin my first work of fiction (writing, not reading, but, about that…)
Read Dracula with the kids, and
Get to page 90 of Les Mis, only 1370 pages to go
Learn to make focaccia, tortillas, pear crisp, powdered milk, pumpkin pancakes and more
Teach a Leadership Education class once or twice a week all month
Head up National Student Mock Elections for our school
Save a full tank of gas
Build confidence in my self-reliance skills
Locate the holes in my home storage system
Cultivate relationships with local growers and producers
Discover how many people are ready, willing and able to help me learn, do and become more than I ever could on my own

Thanks for sticking around to see the end of our experiment. I went to the store but I hope not to go back again for another month. I planned to have November and December be a “No More Holiday Shopping,” focus, but I’ve altered that plan a bit. I’m still planning on that theme for December, but I have something fun cooked up (no pun intended) for November, and I‘m just trying to devise a politically correct way to present it. So, please, come back Monday to see what my new idea is, it will involve drawings and prizes so you‘ll want to stop in. Have fun, avoid the grocery store, fill your life up with better things.

Peace and plenty to you all.

Love,
Mariah

Food Storage Planner

2008-11-05T02:44:00.001-07:00

Here's another cool tool I found online. Something to help you organize.

It's a food Storage Planner. It helps you track your inventory and gives you a clue of what you have and how quickly, or slowly you go trough it.

http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FN_500.pdf

This is just a starting point. Look it over to inspire your own great ideas.

Election Day Liberation

2008-11-04T16:50:00.000-07:00

So, I went to my favorite local super-club-shopping store today. Here’s what I got:

Milk
Egg Nog - I promised KC I'd get some as soon as I went back to the store
Cream
Butter
Eggs
Bagels
Bananas
Clementines
Limes
Lettuce
Spinach
Onions
Olives
Hot Chocolate Mix
Cat Food
Rotisserie Chicken

Here’s what I did not get:

Any cool Costco convenience foods - the rotisserie chicken was priced the same as if I had bought it raw and cooked it myself, so here, I saved myself and my home a few hours of energy output
Delectable ready-to-serve desserts that would have made a tempting addition to my Election Evening Festivities - I had my eye on the All-American chocolate cake, but I passed it up knowing anything I made at home would be a tenth of the cost and just as satisfying, well, almost just as satisfying
Paper goods - I hate doing so many dishes, but love not spending dollars on stuff we just throw away without being nurtured by it

The liberation I felt while I was in the store did not come from being able to be there without wondering if someone was going to snap a photo of me cheating on my own experiment. It didn’t come from having an array of choices before me, many of which were open to the possibility of my purchase. It came from knowing that I was in control of what I walked out of the store with and that all I planned to procure was truly all I required. I felt free to stick to my list and not be enticed into buying things which do not add to the value of my family’s existence.

I want to share with you a story of something that happened while I was in Costco today. I ran into a friend and fellow shopper who was also carefully making her selections. She and I got to talking about our recent experiences. I told her about my month long experiment and some of our highs and lows culminating with this morning’s breakfast (read previous post.) She shared with me her family’s recent experience of struggling through rough economic waters. As I listened to her story I was impressed by her thrift, strength and ingenuity. I was humbled by the outcome of my silly experiment, I had felt so proud of myself for making it through to today. But, what stuck me in our conversation is that while my experiment gets to end, hers is ongoing. She doesn’t get to choose an end date. I know trials come and go, and for her, this too shall pass, but neither she does not get to determine when that is. Still, she was optimistic and hopeful. She spoke of how careful and conscious her consumerism has become. In the face of her need I was aware of every item in my cart, and glad I had not chosen too many less-needful things to fill the space.

This conversation speaks to the heart of what I’ve learned this month. We can thrive with much simpler fare and fodder than we think we can. Fewer choices can actually be quite liberating, as long as you still have the ability to choose. Self-reliance and others-reliance can be a beautiful balancing act. When it comes to sustenance and nourishment, it's not the ease of acquisition of a particular goal or item, but it's the thought, time, trial and error that are the best part of the process.

Losing It

2008-11-04T16:47:00.003-07:00

Okay, first let me describe our final “no more grocery shopping” breakfast. As my kids would say, “It was dee-scusting.” So, I ran out of eggs from the egg lady. Since that is a very planned purchase, I couldn’t just go pick some up last night when I discovered my lack. I’ve also been out of milk for about 10 days, and while no one minds me cooking with the morning moo, the kids will neither drink it straight, nor pour it over cereal. Additionally, our Halloween adventures depleted the last of my hot chocolate stores. We went through the better part of a #10 can that night and as we served up over 150 cups of hot cocoa. I did have a free loaf of bread acquired from the bread store. I decided this bread and some “from scratch” hot chocolate along with some cut fruit would be breakfast.

I put the bread on my baking stone and put it in the oven to toast. Then I poured several cups of morning moo into a pan and started it simmering. I’d give you my food storage hot cocoa recipe, but it was awful, so it might be best if we wait till I perfect it. I added cocoa powder and sugar, then some vanilla and cinnamon. I don’t know if it was the vanilla or the cocoa powder, but that was the worst hot chocolate ever. Bitter and bad, everyone left all but a first sip in their mugs. The toast was eyed suspiciously by all (except Don, of course) “Why do they always have to put all those grainy, seedy things into it?“ one child questions. “Your bread is never like this. You don’t leave chunks of stuff in it, Mom,” another remarks while scrutinizing her meager meal. When it came time to serve the fruit I realized all my pears were ready for a pear crisp, the apples were wrinkly (probably from hanging out with the flaccid pears too long) and the plums were looking more like mushy prunes that they should, so I scratched the fruit plan.

It wasn’t a stellar morning for quality family time either, usually we get at least 15 minutes to sit together, eat and read. Today, I think we had five minutes. The kids have worked past complaining about our meals of late, but I knew this one left a lot to be desired by the looks on their faces. Breakfast was cut short because we were searching for shoes, one of my least favorite mom activities. I read one verse of scripture and our favorite car pool arrived, horn honking. Caleb was still looking for his shoes. My first, second and third response was frustration as the car pool patiently waited. Then, I remembered, we all lose things. On Halloween, I lost my brand new digital camera. I’m still praying and searching to find it. In my searching I’ve found lots of other things that I, the mom, have lost over the last little while, some of them important things. Some of the things I’ve lost, and found include:

My extra set of car keys which miraculously showed up on an end table
A coupon for a sale (found the day after the sale)
An antique song book, lent to me by a friend (boy was I glad to find that)
My very special scouting sweater that holds all of my scouting mom pins (I didn’t even know it was missing, but I found it in the lost and found at school)
My favorite purfume that I searched and searched for and finally found today in a place I've looked many times before

Realizing my hypocrisy I immediately apologized to Caleb. I sent him to school in sandals and told him I’d bring his shoes when I brought Hannah for kindergarten. As they all pulled away, I went back into the house and into the kitchen, there, on the floor in a corner were his shoes. Sometimes things don’t show up until you’ve learned what you needed while that thing is gone from your life. I think that applies to the lessons of my “no more grocery shopping” experiment. Just as I’m learning to get along without my weekly trips to the store, the experiment is over and I can get on with life as usual. But, once you’ve found your truth, do you ever really go back? I don’t know, it will be interesting to see. Stay tuned to my top ten lessons learned.

Master Menu

2008-11-02T15:07:00.002-07:00

Click the link below to view Mariah's Master Menu.

Master Menu

Cheating Cheaters

2008-11-01T23:45:00.003-06:00

Okay, true confession time. I already told you I had to go to the grocery store for dry ice. Well, then Hannah's teacher put in a request for a mini-pumpkin at the last minute. Also, we were having a Halloween Extravaganza in our cul-de-sac and I had planned ahead for everything except the paper cups to serve hot chocolate in. Once I was in the produce section to choose our mini-pumpkin, I thought it would also be cool to get a bunch of strange root vegetables to carve like they did in the old times. So, I grabbed jicima, rutabagas, parsnips and turnips; not groceries, strictly speaking, because I wasn’t planning on eating any of them, just decorating, but boy, did my list grow as I justified the breaking of my first rule. Once I got into the store I could hardly keep myself from buying a bunch of unnecessary stuff….But I did fight my daemons and came out with everything I just confessed, nothing else.

I told you, it’s an addiction for me, buying groceries. It was truly intoxicating just walking down the aisles. To add to my euphoria, there were people in every department offering Hannah and I candy (it was Halloween, remember) and reinforcing my habit with a chocolate reward at every turn. I felt like one of Pavlov’s dogs. I shudder to think of what I could have done if I hadn’t restrained myself and remembered my purpose. As it is, I spent $57 (I bought 10 packages of paper cups that were 10 for $10, and rare root vegetables are not cheap) and I have to confess my lapse right at the end of my experiment. Hopefully I can retain enough dignity and self-control for the next few days to relay the fascinating lessons learned.

Before I sign off for the night, I have to say that my purchases were well worth the cheat. Am I applying moral relativism to the situation? Do the ends justify the means? I don’t know. But at school I ran the rotation that was voted most exciting and engaging by KC's whole class. We did an array of experiments with dry ice that were exciting and engaging and involved all five sences. Our little booth attracted the attention of all the students, faculty and parents of the wing we were set up in. And, that evening we ladled up 150 paper cups of hot chocolate on a cold, drizzly night - serving friends and strangers alike. We were like a little Halloween Haven where all the witches, ghosts, princesses, and superheroes along with their parents enjoyed a bit of respite from the chilly night air. That’s why I did it, that’s why I always do it, groceries make people happy, right? Or, maybe it was all for the praise and attention of others. To quote a favorite line, from a favorite musical, "Maybe that's all good deeds are when looked at with an ice cold eye." Maybe. And that dry ice was colder than ice cold. Hmm. Ponder, ponder. Now I’m just wondering, do you think they have some sort of anonymous 12 step program for cheating cheaters like me?

A Throw Back to Thoreau

2008-10-30T22:10:00.003-06:00

I began this test with a reference to Henry David Thoreau and our common call for a simpler life. Sometimes I long for the days of old when people struggled or thrived because of the grace of God and their own efforts. I don’t know if “simpler times” really ever existed for anyone. Even when things were relatively calm, it was always a hard-won peace and required a daily striving to keep it that way.

In our case, I think that as much as I rely on our efforts and God’s blessings, I look to my friends, family and neighbors for support, especially when I’ve run out of a key item like, dishwasher tabs for instance(thanks, Liz) and I need to go borrowing. Henry had the hang of this concept, if he was craving company or bread made by someone else’s hands, he went to his neighbors and was satisfied by what they had to share. This is my epiphany in this experiment. It isn’t about the hundreds of dollars I didn’t spend - I thought the money would be the most important thing I’d come away with. But now I’m realizing that the money comes farther down the list. I don’t want to spoil my top ten list of things I’ve learned, but I will say that I’m glad to have friends and neighbors (and blog commenters) who care and are willing to share. My family has been blessed with peace and plenty because of you.

Since we’re sharing, I want to share with you my favorite recipe I discovered this month. It is for home made tortillas. My sister says that if she ever has to rely solely on her food storage to get by, she’s not making bread, she’s making tortillas. Here is a variation on her classic tortilla recipe, I found this one here with the photos.

Recipe

Flour Tortillas

2 cups flour
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3/4 cup warm water
11/2 tsps salt

Mix all the ingredients in a mixing bowl, then turn the dough out onto the counter and knead the dough for about a minute. I stick mine in my kitchen aid and give it a whorl for a few minutes. Let the dough rest for about 5 min. Divide the dough into eight rounded balls. I double this recipe to have lots of leftovers.

Heat up a frying pan over medium heat. The heavier the pan the better. Sprinkle some flour onto the counter and roll out each ball of dough into a flat circle about 6 inches in diameter. If the dough is sticking to the table, just add more flour. Rotating the circle around as you're rolling it out can help you get that nice circular shape, but it really just takes practice; and they'll taste great even if they're not perfectly circular
Take a clean cloth and dust off any flour that's adhered to the tortilla, and place it onto the frying pan. You don't need to add any oil to the pan, they won't stick. When you see bubbles popping up all over the top of the tortilla, it's done. Take it off the heat and wrap in a clean dishtowel as you repeat the process.

Don't get discouraged if you're tortillas look funny, by the second or third batch you do you'll be a seasoned pro; and the whole process won't take more than about 20 minutes. Be warned though, once your family or friends get used to your hot fresh tortillas, there's no going back to store bought ever again!

These are great with butter and satl, honey butter, beans and cheese, or any other topping you can think of. The texture of these tortillas is amazing, you’ll be thrilled, just remember, DON’T HANDLE THEM TOO MUCH. That is THE KEY to tortilla success.

Enjoy, and when you’ve made them, go share some with your neighbors.

Nutritional Facts

2008-10-29T14:14:00.007-06:00

So, I'm beginning to question the nutritional value of some of our meals, especially breakfast and lunches. We have been officially out of milk for a few days and are left to our moo juice substitute. They say you should have at least three food groups form the pyramid with your morning meal, but my kids will not have anything to do with the morning moo unless it is mixed into something that is then baked or heated somehow.
This week we began okay. Here's what we've eaten so far -

Monday we had hot oat bran (this is the grains family) and bottled peaches (thank you for the token fruit) but no dairy or protein to speak of at breakfast. The kids took home made bread, apples and a cookie in their lunches. Dinner was a potato bar eaten on the run as we hurried to the Trunk or Treat. Not too bad as far as a meal goes, but again, not a lot of protein or calcium to be found other than what was in the whole wheat bread and sour cream/cheese for the potatoes.

Tuesday, I already mentioned, Don made a scrambled egg skillet dish with bacon and cheese, plenty of protein, a little dairy. We also had hot chocolate, I'm sure that counted as a full serving of dairy. Kids ate the same lunch as they had Monday. Dinner was burgers and fries for lots of fun and fatty calories.

Today we got a late start and KC made pumpkin pancakes, no dairy but at least one good serving of fruit with the pumpkin. We had pizza for lunch at Costco, I went just to return a printer and didn't buy anything but lunch for the kids. Dinner was hurried again. I made rice earlier this afternoon. Good plan. Bren made potstickers and ate his helping on the run. Don, the little kids and I actually sat down together for a few minutes to eat. KC was coming in as I was leaving and hopefully this was the last crazy evening for a while.

So, dairy, or maybe I should say calcium and vitamin d, seem to be the lacking, but I think we're doing okay. I'm off for now. You can see what we've eaten this week so far. What we lack in quality dinner times we've made up in a few nice sit-down breakfasts this week.

The Best Laid Plans....

2008-10-29T00:17:00.004-06:00

Notice the new quote on the side bar. I like to change it occasionally and I think the current quote is appropriate for the final stretch of our experiment. So, here I'll tell you about the day's plans, and then we'll see how they went awry.

Today I planned to get up, shower and groom, get breakfast on the table, family scriptures read, lunches made and out the door in time to pick up kids for the car pool. All this was accomplished with the indispensable assistance of my supportive spouse. I had a class to teach this morning and I couldn’t have done all of the above without him.

Once at school I had an remarkable experience with the leadership education class my son is in. I have been team teaching all year and go in periodically for leadership in action events we’ve planned as a class. This week is the National Student Mock Elections and because it is a presidential election year, it is a big deal to be involved in the voting process with millions of other students around the country. Our leadership class voted early this morning so they can be election officials on Thursday when the rest of the school votes. You may wonder where this is going and how it applies to no more grocery shopping, and I’ll get to that. We spent the last ten minutes of class today in a mock debate and I have to say I was supremely impressed by the depth of character demonstrated by these young people. When it came down to my final question (I was the moderator), “How can YOU best make a difference for good NOW? In this class, with these peers, how can you effect positive change?” I have to say, their answers were simple but profound and they all knew exactly what their right answer was. I was so moved by their honest, specific responses that I have been pondering all day what my answer to that same question would be. Whether I look at it in the context of my home and family, my neighborhood and community, my country and the world. Or, just in context of this blog. How can I make a difference for good NOW? It’s an interesting question, isn’t it? It makes me think of great plans for this blog and the vision I originally began with. I’ll come back to that question before I close, but for now it brings me back to the title of this post. The best laid plans…..

Here’s a break down of the day after my glowing morning:

Best Laid Plan #1 - Help Tiff (accommodating sis-in-law extraordinaire) defrost her freezer.
Gone Awry - Nearly had a house fire caused by burning a pot of water over here, left the rest of the thaw process to Tiff.

Best Laid Plan #2 - Spend the afternoon writing because there will be plenty of time to clean and make dinner later.
Gone Awry - I forgot about my appointment to visit a neighbor and didn’t have time for either cooking or cleaning once the kids got home.

Best Laid Plan #3 - Savor my 30 minutes with the kids when they get home, then spend the remainder of the afternoon attending to needful things as they arose.
Gone Awry - The kids were 30 minutes late getting home (an honest mom moment of short-term memory loss), KC had to hurry off to an activity that would take all evening, Brennan was stressed and swamped with homework, with the hustle and bustle every kid needed something simultaneously.

Best Laid Plan #4 - Have the house straight & dinner under way before Don comes home.
Gone Awry - Don arrived 30 minutes early, homework took the entire time from when Bren got home until it was time for me to go. The positive side of this Is that he and I had some very meaningful exchanges on the topic of stem cell research and gene therapy that we wouldn’t have had if my plans had gone as I’d set them out. Needless to say, the huse was in disarray and dinner was no where near being under way.

Best Laid Plan # Fifth and Final - Make dinner when I come home from my visit to the neighbor.
Gone Awry - When I got home I had a bunch of hungry kids and a helpful husband who was not sure what I had planned for dinner other than my quick, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll do it when I get home,” as I went out the door. So, he picked up where I left off with homework.

Resolution - When your best laid plans go awry, pack every body up in the car and head for the closest burger joint. That’s what we did and everyone, including me, was happy.

Back to my question, and I’d love your comments on this - If you had the power to influence your little part of the world for good using your blog, what would you do? I’d love to hear all your best laid plans, don’t worry about what they say about those, whose to say “awry” isn’t right where you want to be?

Two Cheats

2008-10-28T10:10:00.004-06:00

Okay, I have an occasions for cheating I have to fess up to right now. It's not exactly grocery shopping, but I do have to go into the grocery store to retrieve my needed item. The object of my requirement is DRY ICE and it is for all of the fun and festive activities we have planned for Halloween. Here are some things we are doing:

I am doing dry ice science in KC's class. Click here to see what I mean.
We are making a spook alley for our trick-or-treaters to enjoy and want lots of dense, rolling fog (the fog machine makes misty, slightly-opaque fog) to give a spooky effect.
My kids like to experience explosions as frequently as they can, and though it doesn't involve pyrotechnics, Halloween and dry ice science explosions make a great interlude between Independence Day and New Years.

The thing about dry ice is that you can only get it from grocery stores. so, Friday morn, I'll be at a grocery story, breaking my first rule, by the letter of the law. But, I do justify myself by saying I will still be in keeping with the spirit of the law because I will NOT be grocery shopping. So, there's my first confession.

My second cheat is that I've broken rule # 3 and gotten another infusion of cash. Between costumes, camping, produce from the farm (including six smashing pumpkins), and two dinners out (just sandwiches or fresh mex, but still) for the whole fam, I blew through my hundred bucks a week ago. I received an infusion of $50 and that should get me through the end of the experiment, cash wise.

So, again, that was all in the spirit of full disclosure. Just trying to be accountable, even if only to myself. Thanks for all of the words of encouragement and interest. Look for some of my great successes and failures in the home stretch of our experiment, to be posted soon.

The Curse of the Blog

2008-10-26T09:08:00.003-06:00

Okay, I’m killing myself trying to keep up with this blog. I want so many things for it it’s becoming like another pet, which I never said I’d have because it’s all I can do to keep four little bi-pedal creatures going in a day. Why would I ever take on the four-legged kind that may be house trained but certainly don’t flush. Yet, I do have two cats who live in the garage. No one pays them much mind until I tell the kids it’s time for our pets to find a more loving home. Then there are tears and demonstrations of genuine concern, that lasts about a day until we all find something else to concern ourselves with. Anyway, I am trying to play catch up. Ever since our crazy campout, life has been much altered. We discovered some key ingredients are missing from our preparation plans and I’ve been trying to fill in those holes. Anyway, sorry to neglect the blog. I really do have such great plans for it.

Maybe I need a blog consultant to advise me on how to move forward. I learned several helpful skills while preparing for and experiencing our three days in the wilderness, look for these in posts to come:

Season the Dutch Oven
Make a cardboard box oven
Make tortillas from scratch
Make banana bread without using electricity

On the other hand, you are really all here, not because you want to hear about us roughing it in the wilderness, but because you want to know how to get by without going to the grocery store, so, maybe I’ll stick to the topic at hand and that is the best advise of all. Maybe what I should do is address all these fascinating topics in future blogs when I’m back to grocery shopping, but moving on to avoiding some other necessary addictions, like electricity.

Oh, this is good. You are such a great listener. Let’s keep going with this. So here’s my idea. I’ll stick to mostly no more grocery shopping content this month. If I get a chance to write some little snippets about other things I’m learning along the way I’ll reference them in the blog and you can always access them on the sidebar under topics like “Tips and Tricks”, “Cool Tools,” etc. That way, people coming for menus, recipes and day-to-day ideas that are on topic will not be disappointed. But, here’s my plan for the blog after November 4.

November 4 -December 25 will be “No More Holiday Shopping” days. Rules and guidelines for this idea will be posted on November 4. The blog’s official url will remain “no more grocery shopping,” but the title page will read, “No More Holiday Shopping.”

January will be “No More Eating Out,” month. After the hefty holiday meals and usual expenditures (though this year is bound to be leaner due to the “no more holiday shopping,” experiment,) I’d like to have a month long fast food/restaurant food fast and get back to some simple, soulful home cookin’. Maybe you don't eat out much, we don't either. But, I do rely on a quick pizza pick-up and a date-night out occasionally. This experiment will be good for my bank book and my recipe repertoire.

February is going to be “No More Electricity,” month. I’m not sure exactly what this is going to look like, but I will be selecting a block of hours in the day where we will live nearly off the grid. Stay tuned for more info.

Wow, I appreciate all of the good advice and ideas. Thanks for helping me through that. I’ll quit trying to play catch up and get out of the glory days of the campout, come back to the day-to-day life outside of the grocery store and see if I can’t make my way successfully through
the rest of this experiment. Thanks for sticking it out with me.

Home, Sweet Home

2008-10-19T21:21:00.003-06:00

I’m back! We went camping with our cousins for a few days. We did some awesome archaeology, explored old Indian ruins, slept out in below freezing temperatures, and ate a lot of food. Some meals were better than others, but we fared pretty well considering it was 3 days, 7 meals, and 12 people to plan for. I’ll share our camping recipes/menu later, first, let me recap the rest of week 2….Scroll down and look for the back dated entries.

Week Two Menu

2008-10-18T15:11:00.000-06:00

A Work in Progress until the week is over. Look for recipes on corresponding week's recipe post.

Sunday
Breakfast - This Sunday was Fast Sunday, where we fast for two meals and donate the amount
Lunch - we would have spent on those meals to charity.
Dinner - Cheesy Potato & Bacon Soup, followed by Pear Crisp

Monday
Breakfast - Cold cereal, juice
Lunch - Fresh fruits and veggies - the kids have been loving apple slices sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar with their lunches
Dinner - Canned soups, corn bread muffins, hot chocolate

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cold cereal, juice
Lunch - Corn bread muffins, carrots, chips
Dinner - Dracula's Chicken Paprika

Wednesday
Breakfast - Cold cereal, juice
Lunch - Fruit, carrots, chips, boiled eggs
Dinner - Chicken Tacos

Thursdays
Breakfast - Mountain man potato skillet
Lunch - Sandwiches
Dinner - Potato cheese soup and pumpkin muffins

Friday
Breakfast - Oatmeal and hot chocolate
Lunch - deli meat, cheese, boiled eggs, fruit
Dinner - Italian Mountain Man Meal, green beans and peach cobbler

Saturday
Breakfast - Hot chocolate and cold cereal
Lunch - Hot dogs and fruit
Dinner - Kids, pizza; Mom & Dad, date night at Thai restaurant.

Gone Camping

2008-10-16T12:15:00.001-06:00

We're off on Fall Break. I'll be back with lots of great non-grocery-shopping, survivor stories.

Dracula’s Chicken

2008-10-14T22:24:00.004-06:00

Today, I put a chicken in the crock pot to roast. I have a three meal plan for this chicken and today is Meal 1. Roasted chicken with veggies. Tomorrow is Day 2, chicken tacos, and Sunday I’m going to make chicken soup with the little remaining chicken I have and the stock made from all the bones and stuff. But, let me tell you about today’s meal and give you a little look into a favorite afternoon ritual I share with the kids.

When the kids get home from school I have a small window of their time before they run off to play, do homework, or become engaged in other activities. For 30 minutes every day I get them all to myself. Since I am usually the one to drive them home, I’ve already gotten the low-down on their day, so from 3:30-4pm we are free, and I get to perform one of my favorite past times as a mom; reading to my children. When we got home, the chicken was already roasting away and I had a simple snack ready for them. They sat down to graze and I began our October classic, Dracula. The kids and I have read several abridged classics over the last many months and this is our spooky pick for the month of All Hallows Eve. Anyway, there is a moment where the first main character, Jonathon, is traveling through Eastern Europe and he stops at various places for food and lodging. We LOVE food references in literature, and whenever we come across one as we’re reading, we try to plan a meal around the foods described. So, today it was Chicken Paprika, and since I already had a chicken roasting it was a simple thing to add a bunch of paprika to the pot and let it do it’s thing. I have to reference a new favorite thing here:

McCormic’s Smoked Paprika

It is so much more robust and flavorful than any other paprika I’ve ever tried that I’ve been using it as a condiment since I got it. Anyway, it was excellent on the chicken, and here’s the recipe for Day 1 of the whole chicken meals. I have to say, I was looking over my shoulder the whole time I was preparing this, though, I felt like Dracula was going to come up behind me any moment. Turns out Dracula doesn't like chicken, but we sure loved this dish.

Paprika Chicken and Salad

Paprika Veggies

Recipe

Hungarian Chicken Paprika
1 Whole chicken
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 onion, quartered
1 ½ cup water
Carrots, onions, sweet peppers, all chopped

Clean chicken and rub with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. Leave garlic in pan and add onions and water (be sure not to rinse the paprika off the chicken when you pour the water into the pan). Cover and roast at 350 for as long as it takes to get clear juices from the leg and breast (Sorry this is lame, I used my crock pot and just let it do it’s thing). When the chicken is nearing it’s finish throw the veggies in a pan with some of the chicken broth. Add a little more salt and paprika to the veggies if needed. Serve it all piping hot and reserve the leftovers (bones and all) for your next meals.

Family Night Fun

2008-10-14T14:06:00.004-06:00

Now, don't get worried that I've forgotten which blog I'm writing for and mistaking this one for my family blog, found here. I promise my ramblings will have relevance, as you'll see soon.

Last night we went to a great Story in Concert, which is sort of like a musical play with a lot more narrative. It was a retelling of “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” at an amphitheater in a beautiful old park. The weather has been pretty chilly here, and the festivities began around dinner time, so I wanted to bring a few warm provisions for the evening.

First, I weighed my options and honestly, not so long ago my first response would have been to head for fast food. Quick and easy. But, I have to tell you, this is another poor practice I’m wanting to purge from my life. Fast food is really fun sometimes, but I’ve noticed two tell-tale truths in the last several months that alert me to the idea of ditching fast food as a family affair. They are:

Fast food menu items are shrinking in size as my kids are simultaneously growing in size.
Fast food menu items do not seem to satisfy and sustain like they used to.

Maybe I’m thinking too hard, but I just hate spending $30 to feed my family a bunch of crappy food that doesn’t really fill or nourish them. So, I decided to make dinner and bring it with us. Here’s what I did instead.

I made corn bread muffins, honey butter and hot chocolate, heated assorted canned soups and packed them all up in my new thermoses and hot boxes. Our cousins came with us to the play and the muffins were a hit with adults and kids alike. All my kids had their own thermos of hot chocolate (Don and I shared) and that really cut down on the “I’m so cold,” complaints. Only Don & Bren ate soup because while I said I made assorted soups, I ended up leaving everything but clam chowder here at home. So sorry to my kids who hate clams. The whole meal probably cost me 5 bucks and everyone was happy.

Here is my recipe for corn bread, which, even with the egg (read this eggcelent article about storing eggs, sent to me by my favorite tree hugger up north, Katie), is a friendly food storage recipe. I followed the recipe and then made muffins and they were great.

Recipe

Corn Bread
1 cup corn meal
½ cup wheat flour
½ cup white flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk (I used 2 Tbs morning moo powder and 1 cup water)

Mix dry ingredients (including milk powder if you use it), add wet ingredients, stir well. Pour into greased 8 inch pan, bake on 350 for 25 minutes. Check with a poke test, may need another 5 minutes or so depending on altitude.

Interesting note about gear: I have a few friends who have mentored me in the idea that it pays to ask for discounts, and today I was richly rewarded for doing so. Earlier in the day I visited a local outdoor outlet where camping and outdoor supplies are sold. Disclaimer: this is not a grocery store and I’m still in the bounds of the rules. I grabbed a few great 72-hour-kit items on clearance and then sat down in front of the thermoses. Now this store is a bit of a fun mess. It’s kind of like a treasure hunt finding what you’re looking for. But, when you find it, if it’s missing it’s box or looks like it’s been on the shelf a long time, the manager will totally give you a deal. I found several great deals and took them to the cash register. The manager sold me all of this stuff - 4 thermos mugs, 1 thermos canister, 2 good sized hot/cold lunch box canisters with food containers and some extra containers to go with them - for $35. Normally, it would have cost $65. I’m telling you this because as far as being prepared goes, things that can help keep your food hot and/or cold are really handy to have around.

Week Two Recipes

2008-10-13T14:20:00.000-06:00

Disclaimer: Not all of these recipes are 100% food storage recipes, but there are several. Just remember the experiment isn't eating only from our food storage, it's No More Grocery Shopping. Also, This is a quirky post because I'm attempting to back-date it so you can see all the recipes in one place with out having to read through all the ramblings to get to it. for any missing details, feel free to search the blog for stories and photos relating to these recipes.

Pear Crisp
6 sickly pears, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Stir gently to cover pears in sugar and spice. Top with:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (maybe a little more, I'm not great at measuring and I just made this
up)
2/3 cup oats with a dash of cinnamon

Mix topping together and top pears. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, or when the topping is golden brown and crisp. Sorry to all of my international friends, I don't know how to convert the quantities or temp for you, but I have great confidence that you'll figure it out.

Cheesy Potato & Bacon Soup
½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
3 potatoes, diced
3 cans (12 oz. each) chicken broth
1 ½ cup morning moo (we used our pre-mixed powdered milk)
½ cup canned milk
2 Tbs flour
1-2 cups cheese (Bren grated ½ c. Romano and Don threw in a few handfuls cheddar)
1 cup crumbled bacon (shelf stable stuff)

Over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in butter until onion is translucent and garlic is golden. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Allow potatoes to soften in the soup for about 5 minutes. Whisk flour into milk and add to soup along with canned milk. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes. Add cheese and bacon. Simmer and stir till all cheese is melted. Serve piping hot.

Corn Bread
1 cup corn meal
½ cup wheat flour
½ cup white flour
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbs baking powder
½ tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk (I used 2 Tbs morning moo powder and 1 cup water)

Mix dry ingredients (including milk powder if you use it), add wet ingredients, stir well. Pour into greased 8 inch pan, bake on 350 for 25 minutes. Check with a poke test, may need another 5 minutes or so depending on altitude.

Hungarian Chicken Paprika
1 Whole chicken
2 Tbsp. olive oil
5 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. black pepper
1 onion, quartered
1 ½ cup water
Carrots, onions, sweet peppers, all chopped

Clean chicken and rub with olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and paprika. Leave garlic in pan and add onions and water (be sure not to rinse the paprika off the chicken when you pour the water into the pan). Cover and roast at 350 for as long as it takes to get clear juices from the leg and breast (Sorry this is lame, I used my crock pot and just let it do it’s thing). When the chicken is nearing it’s finish throw the veggies in a pan with some of the chicken broth. Add a little more salt and paprika to the veggies if needed. Serve it all piping hot and reserve the leftovers (bones and all) for your next meals.

Sabbath Sickday

2008-10-12T21:31:00.001-06:00

Today I woke up with the virus that's been hanging over Hannah for a few days. Sore throat, fever, general malaise. So, Hannah and I stayed home while the rest of the fam went off to church. We laid around all day and when the kids got home, Bren and KC started dinner. They made a very comfort-full soup that turned out awesome, was a near food storage recipe, and only required periodic instruction from me on the couch. Don came home just before we ate and tied up finishing meal prep details. Here’s to health and wellness, meals that kids can prepare, and a husband who cares.

The soup stood on it’s own tonight as far as the meal was concerned, no bread or salad, but we did follow it up with our pear crisp topped with whipped cream. The evening was a success, everyone ate their fill of exactly what was served. No one asked if they could eat cereal or something else instead. Way to go guys.

This is a great food storage recipe and is a modified version of my sis-in-laws famous Potato Cheese soup. Thanks, Tiff.

Recipe

Cheesy Potato & Bacon Soup

½ onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
3 potatoes, diced
3 cans (12 oz. each) chicken broth
1 ½ cup morning moo (we used our pre-mixed powdered milk)
½ cup canned milk
2 Tbs flour
1-2 cups cheese (Bren grated ½ c. ramano and Don threw in a few handfuls cheddar)
1 cup crumbled bacon (shelf stable stuff)

Over medium heat, saute garlic and onion in butter until onion is translucent and garlic is golden. Add chicken broth and potatoes. Allow potatoes to soften in the soup for about 5 minutes. Wisk flour into milk and add to soup along with canned milk. Allow to simmer another 5 minutes. Add cheese and bacon. Simmer and stir till all cheese is melted. Serve piping hot.

Six Pairs Saved From Wasteful Death

2008-10-12T16:31:00.001-06:00

I had some pears that were on the brink of ruin. I had to act fast or all would have been lost. Part of our experiment is to reduce the amount of wasted food we add to the trash heap. Here's one idea and recipe.

Pear Crisp

It all started with six, sickly pairs whose skins looked like this.

I had to show you these because I forgot to take a "Before" picture.

These are evidence of how far gone those pears were.

After cutting and stirring and topping, they looked like this.

Finally, out of the oven, and ready to eat. I wish technology was up to smell-o-vision. You can't believe the heavenly aroma filling my home. I'd love to have you all over for some delightful pair crisp topped with whipped cream, but since I can, you go make your own and tell me how it turns out. A great experiment in using what I have and watching my waste (if not my waist).

Recipe

Pear Crisp
6 sickly pears, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
Stir gently to cover pears in sugar and spice. Top with:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar (maybe a little more, I'm not great at measuring and I just made this up)
2/3 cup oats with a dash of cinnamon

Mix topping together and top pears. Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes, or when the topping is golden brown and crisp. Sorry to all of my international friends, I don't know how to convert the quantities or temp for you, but I have great confidence that you'll figure it out.

Week One Menu

2008-10-12T16:05:00.004-06:00

I've had lot's of requests, so, here's a menu for week 1. Not too different form everyone else's menu. Remember, the experiment is just beginning and we still have lots of fresh food in the fridge. Be sure to check the recipe page for recipes.

Sunday
Breakfast - Eggs and Toast
Lunch - Sandwiches
Dinner - Pasta, tomato salad, home made french bread, cheese plate

Monday
Breakfast - Cold Cereal & Milk, fruit slices
Lunch - Sack lunches
Dinner - Waffles

Tuesday
Breakfast - Cream of Wheat
Lunch - Sack lunches
Dinner - Lettuce Wraps & Rice

Wednesday
Breakfast - Cold Cereal
Lunch - Campbell’s Chunky Chicken Soup rotated from our 72 kits
Dinner - Left over penne pasta, food-storage enhanced alfredo sauce, leftover home made bread made into garlic toast, green salad with tomatoes from the garden.

Thursday
Breakfast - 100% food storage friendly rice pudding
Lunch - Who knows, I can’t even remember lunch
Snack - Rice crispy treats and pumpkin pancakes
Dinner - Tacos, taco salad, nachos and whatever else you can imagine making with pre-packaged taco shells, ground beef, cheese, tomatoes, guacamole, etc.

Friday
Breakfast - Cold cereal
Lunch - Chicken nuggets and fruit
Dinner - Fend For Yourself - Noodles and Soup

Saturday
Breakfast - Cold Cereal
Lunch - Crackers & Cheese, veggie sticks
Dinner - Pasta & Salad

Weekend Update

2008-10-12T14:35:00.004-06:00

Friday

A few days ago I decided to institute Fend For Yourself Fridays. Usually we have a family activity planned for the evening (this Friday it was the StoryTelling Festival at school) and there's not a lot of time for intensive meal prep. So, Friday's a good night for everyone to eat what they want, with in reason. Here's how it went:

What we ate: Breakfast - cold cereal (we're still doing pretty good on real milk, it seems to go a lot further when I bake and cook with the powdered stuff)
Lunch - early day home from school, kids ate fresh fruit and chicken nuggets
Dinner - Hannah & Caleb - Campbell's chunky chicken soup (the kind from our 72 hour kits that I'm glad I rotated out, tastes like baby baby food bland). Brennan & KC - Top Ramen spiced up and added to for a palate pleasing meal. Don & I - Instant Chow Mien, also rotated from our 72 hour kits, but MUCH preferable to the chunky soup.

Saturday

What Today was family fun (and cleaning) day and Mom & Dad's date night.
What we ate: Breakfast - Everyone did their own thing for breakfast.
Lunch - We had cheese and crackers and carrot sticks, courtesy of Don. He made some dips (remember, we're all about sauces at our house) and arranged some cheeses on a plate along with carrot sticks and pita crackers. Everyone loved it and it filled us nicely before the movies. We are going to be sad when we run out of cheese and sour cream.
Dinner - We made a meal to take to a new neighbor who just moved in today. They have a small family, so we were able to keep half the food we made to feed our kids. Bren made a butter and herb pasta, I made a salad, and we also took some "Warm Delights" (mentioned in a previous post) and bread that we picked up at the Health Food Store (which is not a supermarket). Don & I went to our favorite fresh mex cafe. We just ordered soup and tortillas, plus some sauce to take home and the whole date cost us $13.26. We ran into a neighbor who's read my blog. She hugged me and said, "You're here. You're not at the grocery store, you're here." I showed her that we were still very good and frugal and only got the soup (we're also a bit under the weather which is closer to the real reason for our frugal order) and she had lots of encouragement for us. See, I paid with cash, ordered cheap, I'm sticking to it. But, that leads me to -

A tips from Don & Mariah's date night:

If you have a favorite item from a restaurant, like a dip, dressing or sauce, talk to someone there about ordering that item as a side for take-out. We used to have a favorite Caesar salad dressing we loved getting from a local Italian place. They let us order it by the pint and we'd take it home in a paper cup with a lid. It was a lot cheaper to do it that way than to come back repeatedly ordering the whole salad. In today's case, this cafe makes an amazing tomatillo dressing that is difficult to duplicate, believe me, I've tried, and while sometimes close is good enough, there's nothing like the real deal. So, rather than spending a bunch of money on food that is just carrier for the sauce, try ordering just the sauce and go home and make the food.