Periodical Food-Snob Report

So, currently, we are buying

• milk, ground beef, and amazing fresh cream from a local co-op.
  
• I buy cheese from Trader Joe's and my husband brings some home on the weekends after selling it at local Farmers' Markets. (Sorry, ALDI, your cheese is absolutely flavorless.)
  
• For some reason I'm not too picky on chicken. Maybe because I didn't notice an incredible taste difference over conventional when I tried the organic variety.
• If we got steak ever, it would be from Trader Joe's and organic (you can't beat the fresh, alive flavor).
• Veggies come from Windy City Produce Mart or Andy's Fruit Ranch (and so does some chicken) -- both local produce marts.
• Canned goods that are not overly processed (like single-ingredient items) come from ALDI (as do a surprising number of miscellaneous household goods -- we are buying an air conditioner and digital camera there tonight).
• Eggs no longer come from ALDI. I got some Rose Acre Farms brand from Windy City one day and realized how much healthier the shells looked. They were thoroughly opaque instead of sort of mottled opaque and translucent. Husband came home with some 18-in-a-pack from Dominicks that unfortunately looked very similar to ALDI's.

And with all this snobbery, last week's bill was up above $140 again. Can't afford that on a weekly basis, so I may have to cut out some things like organic apples -- unless we compensate with what Andy is making "working cheese" this summer. But the majority of that needs to go on the credit card. Anyway, more to come.

(Photo: freefoto.com)

Mashed Potato Omelet

4 eggs
oil
blob of leftover mashed potatoes
green tops of green onions, sliced thin (or chives)
plain yogurt or sour cream

Heat pan with a couple of tablespoons of oil in it. Mix 4 eggs thoroughly with fork. When pan is hot, add eggs. Do not disturb until edges have solidified. You may then swirl the pan a little to get the liquid egg towards the edges so it will cook.

Briefly warm (45 seconds in the microwave?) the blob of mashed potatoes and the green onions (or chives). When eggs are nearly solid but still a little runny in the middle, add mashed potato mixture on top of one-half of the eggs. Salt and pepper the mashed potatoes if you like. Carefully loosen the other side of the eggs from the pan and fold over onto the mashed potato side. Let cook a few seconds longer. Turn off heat. Slice the omelet into two pieces and remove from pan. Top with sour cream or yogurt.

Serves two normal people or one woman who is breastfeeding two and sharing some with the toddler.

(Photo: freephotos.com)

Coffee on the Brain

So, I'm playing with free stock photos available online. This one is from FreeFoto.com.

Plus, this is how we drink our cheap, delicious Trader Joe's coffee -- French pressed to perfection.

Going Over for a Drink

So, I went way over budget yesterday. Many factors contributed. I bought some magnetic doodle pads that kids love at ALDI, I spent more on a few items than I expected to, and I bought the alcoholic beverage that I'd become accustomed to having and not budgeting for since my brother would shop with us.

I spent around $140! This is back up where I used to be before I started budgeting. I had budgeted $100, so it wasn't as bad as if I had been trying to keep it around $70, but still! It's really easy to stay on budget during Lent when we're buying negligible amounts of beer, meat, and dairy. But not-fasting days are a somewhat different story. So, now I must figure out how to view my menu as festive, but not ultra-indulgent. That will be a challenge.

(Photo courtesy of freephoto.com)

So Busy!

So, the end of Lent is drawing near (meaning lots of services in the next week), I have started a new writing-from-home job (does it make me a freelance writer if I'm getting paid for it?), and life is full! So I don't have time to post an entire menu at the moment, but I thought I'd direct you to some great recipes I'm using this week from RealSimple.com to tide you over.

• Shrimp and Pasta Puttanesca
  
• Risotto with Edamame, Lemon Zest, and Tarragon (substitue broth or white grape juice and a splash of vinegar for the wine, soy cheese for the parm, and I'm using brown rice in place of the Arborio... I know... a lot of substitutions....)
• Shrimp Cakes with Carrot Slaw
  

Dinner Menu Plan: Apr 3 - Apr 9

My method of listing the necessities first this week worked, and I only had to remove a couple of items from my list to stay within my $70 budget (especially impressive, I think, because I have to buy laundry detergent this week). After that, I looked at a few very cheap recipes, and then brainstormed recipe ideas from some of the cheapest ingredients that I could think of: beans and potatoes. Here are the results:

• Thurs: Lubia bi Zeit (Lebanese Tomato and Green Bean Casserole) with Lebanese Rice and hummus and pita
• Fri: Chili con "Carne" (fake ground beef) with corn bread and salad/carrot sticks
  
• Sat: Salmon Stuffed Butternut Squash with brown rice and sauteed broccoli rounds (that's the stems... peel first)
  
• Sun - Brunch: muffins or pancakes with fruit salad
• Sun - Dinner: Mexican Rice and Beans with salad and carrot sticks
• Mon: Jody's Potato Salad (with chunks of tofu replacing the egg and for added protein) with a veggie tray and bread and margarine
• Tues: Garden Vegetable Soup with bread and salad
• Wed: Soup, Salad, and Bread (again?) after church service
  

Oil Cleans!

So, totally by accident, I discovered that oil (mine was canola) will take sticky oil-dust-grime off of surfaces. If your kitchen is spotless, you will not have this problem. Mine is not, and my tea kettle is usually coated in aforementioned stickiness. Plain soap does next to nothing to this substance.

I went to wipe off a splatter of oil from my kettle (see, I'm trying to reform my cleaning ways by paying attention to spills and wiping them up promptly), and the oil took with it the layers of previously-splattered-oil-covered-in-dust goo. Maybe this is a common-knowledge cleaning trick, but I was certainly unaware. After I buy some more oil and have some I can spare from the needs of cooking, I'm going to do this on purpose to the rest of the kettle!

The End of the Month

I have come to the end of my first four-week period in which I withdrew all (or most) of our spending money in one lump sum. I think it has been a success: there was only one instance where I used the debit card to use money for which I hadn't budgeted (I bought a large pack of baby wipes for about $10 which I will subtract from next month's grocery allotment). I have $70 remaining for this week, which is not unexpected. I actually had the same amount set aside for last week, but used a few dollars of my spending money for a couple of luxury purchases (I fell for a limited edition peaberry coffee and some Turkish Delight).

Usually when I plan my menus, I begin by thinking about what we have that I can use up and then I look through cookbooks or my Menu-Mailers. Finally, I list all of the items I'd like to purchase and estimate what they will cost, making creative substitutions when something has to be scratched off of the list. This time, I think I listed the necessary items and things we have run out of first and estimated the prices of those items before researching menus and recipes. And my preliminary total (before crossing anything off determined unnecessary): $61.30. That leaves a grand total of $8.70 for the ingredients for our dinners for the week! Now I may go back and remove some items from the initial list, but this menu should be interesting!

Scrambled Tofu

After singing the praises of eggs, I will add some Lenten balance to this blog with the following recipe. I don't do a lot of complicated substitutes for non-lenten foods during Lent, but when you're really craving a savory breakfast, this is a nice change from a muffin, cereal, or oatmeal.

This is going to be one of those "just judge" (as my husband's grandmother would say) recipes, so forgive me.

Scrambled Tofu

Some size block of tofu (silken given a more egg-like texture, but regular works fine too, just don't crumble it too finely)
Minced green (or other color) bell pepper (a couple of Tablespoons is sufficient)
Minced onion (same amount as green pepper)
Turmeric
Soy sauce
Black pepper
Margarine or some type of neutral oil

Put about a Tablespoon of margarine or oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onion and sautee until onion is translucent. Crumble tofu into skillet in scrambled-egg size chunks. Sprinkle on enough turmeric to color the tofu to your liking (start with a little or your tofu will be neon very quickly), and add a generous splash of soy sauce. Mix and cook until spices are evenly distributed and mixture is heated through. Add black pepper and serve.

Notes:
About the soy sauce: this is essential to give it an egg-like taste; however, do not add so much that it tastes like a stir fry. Start with a little (a splash) and add until it tastes right, but make sure you add the turmeric before you taste it. The green pepper also adds to the impression of egg.

Variations:
You may increase the amount of bell pepper and onion and go for more of a scramble. I have also added some smallish chunks of soy sausage after the onion is mostly cooked -- let it brown for a little while before adding the tofu and seasonings. The brand I like is Lightlife's Gimme Lean Ground Sausage Style (available in the tofu and meat-free meat refrigerated section of Trader Joe's) -- it also makes great patties and can be used in spaghetti sauce if you brown it and add it at the last minute. If you cook fake-meat in liquid for very long it gets mushy and soaked-bread-textured. Not too pleasant.

Lenten Desserts?

If you are not opposed to using oil during the fast, try making some Irish Tea Cakes. Scroll down a little ways to find them. I made them for St. Patrick's Day (my Namesday) and they were amazing! I alternated Trader Joe's Blueberry Preserves and some Three-Fruit Irish Wiskey Marmalade. Very good with tea.

Dinner Menu Plan: Mar 27 - Apr 2

I apologize for the recent hiatus in posting. We've been fighting off a couple of different illnesses, and I'm experimenting with letting my daughter watch way less TV. That makes for considerably less posting time but a considerably better behavior from my daughter! Anyway, I'm jumping back in with this week's menu:

• Thurs: Cuban Black Beans and Rice (This is one can of Trader Joe's Cuban Black Beans mixed with however much rice -- I use brown -- looks right to you. I would start with two cups, and possibly add one more.) with a veggie tray and fried plantains (This will be my first attempt frying plantains. I should have read the cookbook before shopping, though. How to Cook Everything wants you to use mostly black plantains, but I'll be trying it with yellow.)
• Fri: CP Moroccan Chick Peas (this is a recipe that my Mom and I changed and converted and I now consider it my own, so I will share it soon) over couscous with a salad if I get around to one.
• Sat: Exploding Noodle Chicken Salad (that's rice sticks, and I'm using up some cabbage instead of shredded iceberg) with fried rice.
• Sun - Brunch: Scrambled Tofu (I'll share this one too) with toast and fruit salad.
• Sun - Dinner: Leftover night (please let me have some leftovers!) or a stir fry of some sort.
• Mon: Gumbo with "Sausage" and Seafood Medley (shrimp, calamari, and scallops) with corn bread and probably rice.
• Tues: Imjaddareh (Arabic dish: lentils, onions, and rice. I will share this recipe or you can look it up online -- spellings will vary.) with Broccoli, Avocado, and Tomato Salad, and bread.
• Wed: Soup, Salad, and Bread night, officially (at church); however, I will be making some chicken and something or other before the service for me and the kids.
  

Eggs

Eggs are one of the best buys for your budget and your body. When I am pregnant I follow (as closely as possible) the Brewer Pregnancy Diet. For daily protein requirements, they recommend four 8-oz glasses of milk, six 1-oz servings of meat or other protein, and two eggs. Each serving is interchangeable protein-wise. So, if you're short on cash for meat this week, try making a meal with eggs as the main protein source instead of a meat dish. The January 2007 issue of RealSimple magazine had a great collection of egg recipes that helped me begin to branch out and serve eggs other than for breakfast. Here are two of my favorites:

• Soft-Boiled Eggs with Warm Croutons and Greens
• Southwestern Eggs

For more recipes like these, type "eggs" into the search field under "Kitchen Assistant," and start experimenting!

Dinner Menu Plan: Mar 13 - Mar 20

Good morning! Something about the combination of this particular roast of coffee and the raw milk we get tastes together like Cool Whip. That has got to be one of my least favorite "foods." Of course, since being sick with the flu and now recovering, everything has tasted kind of funny. Scrambled eggs most closely reminded me of eating wet cotton balls (not that I... nevermind).

On to our menu! Some prefatory notes: I changed Thursday, so I am including it here (not that I posted last week's menus, but it was mainly meals I had frozen earlier). Wednesdays throughout Lent we attend church and dinner is provided. The rest of our Lenten meals will be primarily vegan, with a couple of "Feast Day" exceptions.

• Thurs: Baked Potato Bar (baked potatoes and all the toppings you can think of, like broccoli, cheese or "cheese," chili beans, chopped onion and/or green pepper, bacon bits, whatever)
• Fri: Russian Vegetable Borscht with bread and mixed bean pate
• Sat: Spaghetti with Clam Sauce, bread, salad
• Sun: friend bringing over Imam Bayaldi and couscous with sauteed zucchini, and I'm going to splurge on some new Dark Chocolate-Covered Joe-Joes (Oreos) from Trader Joe's for dessert
  
• Mon: White Fish (some kind) with oven "chips" and sauteed zucchini with Tyna's Irish Tea Cakes, if I get around to them (It's my Name's Day! Happy St. Patrick's Day!!)
  
• Tues: Terriyaki Tofu with rice and steamed or sauteed broccoli
  
• Wed: Potluck (soup, salad, and bread)
  
• Thurs: CP Curried Vegetables and Rice

• Lunches for Sat and Sun after Liturgies: Muffins, fruit, and "sausage" (There's a great fake sausage product in a tube in the refrigerated section at TJs -- check it out if you're into that kind of thing. It makes great patties and is my favorite of all the fake sausages out there.)
  

Sorry

There's been no menu this week because I am under the weather. I hope to post one soon!

Good Cheesefare/Vegetarian Recipe

Broccoli Tortellini (el cheapo)
serves 3 to 4

1 12-oz pkg dry cheese tortellini (>$1.50 @ Trader Joe's)
8 to 12 oz (to preference) fresh broccoli florets
1 26-oz jar spaghetti sauce ($0.99 @ ALDI)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (8-oz block is > $1.50 @ ALDI)
1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning (or homemade mix or combo of basil and oregano)

Cook tortellini according to package instructions. Steam broccoli. EITHER combine over low heat and add sauce, cheese, and seasonings. Serve when cheese is melted and sauce is warmed. OR place cooked broccoli and tortellini in crock pot. Add sauce, cheese, and seasonings, and mix well. Turn crock to LOW and let sit (for up to an hour -- if longer, reduce heat to WARM) until dinner.

Notes:
I have amended my view of cheese. I'll buy the cheap stuff as an ingredient to a recipe, but if the recipe depends on the cheese, I'll try for the better stuff.

If you have the option of whole wheat pasta, that is preferred. Otherwise, add more broccoli (the fiber in the broccoli should slow down the rate of sugar absorption caused by the white flour in the pasta).

You could probably also use a large can of crushed tomatoes for the sauce, either seasoning it yourself and making it "sauce" or just adding the seasonings listed above (you'll need to salt it, though).

Enjoy!

They've Stollen My Money

I don't care what is being advertised, when I see the five little words "Buy One, Get One Free," my pulse quickens and my brain is soon clouded with adrenaline.  "Oh!" I think.  "I've just found the greatest deal!  Do you know how much I'll be saving if I buy these?!"

I was trying to allow myself some convenience.  I don't like to cook on Sundays: church is too demanding for me to devote much energy to meals, so I tend to give myself the most leeway with convenience foods after a service.  My church is having a potluck today, as I type this, and I was looking for something easy to bring.  But notice:  I am typing, not eating.  My daughter is recovering from having the flu earlier in the week, and I opted to stay home and let her rest instead of dealing with yet another epically-proportioned tantrum when she has reached her energy limit.  

So, I purchased for $4.99 one "Butter Almond Stollen" from ALDI, receiving a second "Christmas Stollen with 10% Persipan Filling" completely free!  Amazing, I know.  Except that for less than half that, I could have purchased an extra carton of eggs and planned to make some kind of breakfast casserole instead.  And then, when I made the decision to stay home, the eggs could have been put to a different use later.  Ingredients can always be made into something else.  A stollen is fairly limited on what else it can be.

I now have two disgustingly sweet coffee-cake-like confections robbing me of my little counter space.  The extra 25 pounds continuing to take up space on my body since my last pregnancy definitely don't need the company that consuming one or more stollens this week would bring (before Lent is upon us); so, though my name isn't on the food list for next Sunday, I will probably bring one or both of these to coffee hour just to get rid of them.  I'm happy to share a treat with my church, but I wouldn't have had to spend the money to bring anything that week.

Next time I see a "BOGO" sign, if I turn away instead of mindlessly obey it, that five dollar bill I saved and boasted about a few posts back could become a ten.

Something Lenten This Way Comes

As Lent approaches, many of us observing an Orthodox fast in part or in whole are undoubtedly wondering what we will feed our families, other than "pasta with red sauce" or lentils or hummus.  

Now, I may be of no help to those families comprised of picky kids or picky husbands (or, I suppose, picky cooks...).  My husband eats nearly everything I cook without complaint and usually with a "Thanks for dinner, dear," only citing one meal I've made during our three-plus-year marriage as "inedible."  My toddler subsists on eggs, cheese crackers, mac and cheese, and rice most days, but she is still nursing, so I don't worry about it too much.  My baby is jealous of our full plates but hasn't yet succeeded in getting the food into her own mouth.  So, I am really cooking what I like to eat and not dealing with the extreme picky-ness that plagues some families I know.

That being said, as I'll be continuing to post my family's menus, I hope to broaden the scopes of some of your Lenten cooking -- and I'd love to hear (if you happen to try a similar recipe) if the kids liked it!

For those of you who really have no idea what to serve during Lent, I'd suggest signing up for a menu service or searching the web or cookbooks for ready-planned menus.  Leanne's Saving Dinner website is a wonderful resource.  I used it exclusively for our meals for a couple of years and felt like I was taking a cooking class by doing so.  I was introduced to so many different recipes and techniques.  And her vegetarian meals and meat substitutions are so creative.  If your family likes (tolerates?) mushrooms, try substituting thickly sliced, large portabella mushrooms for strips of meat in stir-fry or fajitas.

Hearty soups with fresh bread and salad also make good Lenten meals, especially if you have a crock pot and/or a bread machine that you can set up earlier in the day (earlier than an hour before dinnertime, when we often find ourselves doing the cooking).  Make extra soup and freeze some for later on during the fast when you don't feel like cooking or need a quick meal.

Also, I find that whole grain dishes are much more satisfying than those made with their refined counterparts.  When I eat white rice, white bread, white potatoes without their skins, I can feel flushed (a sign of too much sugar in your body) and soon begin feeling hungry again as my body quickly burns the (nearly pure) sugar I ingested.  Since it is hard enough to fill up on Lenten food, it is frustrating to be hungry 15 minutes after eating, especially if one is attempting to avoid snacks as well!

These are just some preliminary tips.  I'll be more detailed as I begin to think about my actual menus.  Meanwhile, I'm sure that plenty of pasta with red sauce, lentils, and hummus will make it onto our Lenten meal plan.

Go Ahead, Buy Generic

Looks like someone else was being extra-critical of her food budget this month.  Check it out!

$5 = $55

Five dollars is huge for me.  I spent a total of $85 today.  Normally, I've spent up to (and occasionally exceeding) $150!  A couple of the things I bought are for dishes I'll be bringing to church this weekend as well.  When you look at it this way, I saved more than five dollars.  I saved at least fifty-five dollars.  Maybe I'll frame that bill.

Literary Kick in the Butt

Reading the parts of The American Frugal Housewife that I quoted yesterday and other sections (not, however, the recipes that involved "rice jelly" or putting the butter in brine for the winter) convinced me to get back to work today.  I am the one who runs this household and no one else is going to do things for me.  Having done the dishes right after dinner last night and getting a shower this morning (with a quick Swish and Swipe of the bathroom) did wonders for getting my act together as well.

A couple of other books that I have found to do this beautifully for me are the introduction and first few chapters of Home Comforts, by Cheryl Mendelson, and The Quotidian Mysteries, by Kathleen Norris.  The first makes me realize that it is good to live in a clean house stocked with good food and clean towels: this end result makes the work required to have these things worth doing.  The second leads my mind upward to a greater purpose for my mundane (as in daily and worldly) work: my household rituals can echo the liturgy of the church in repetitiveness, but also in my finding new meaning and enjoyment in performing them again and again.

Thrift takes more time and thought than convenience.  It takes forethought to bake your own bread (even in a bread machine), soak and cook dry beans instead of canned, or prepare dried tortellini for a recipe that called for frozen.  Let's not even talk about the amount of time needed to make your own yogurt (please do not let me deter you from this: it is incredibly easy and much tastier than store-bought -- you just have to let it sit overnight).  I have been putting that one off for days.  All three books I've listed instill in me the idea that it is normal to work in one's home.  It is normal for the work to actually take time to complete.  It is work!  But that five-dollar bill that remained in my wallet at the end of my grocery shopping today was worth it.

Dinner Menu Plan: Feb 28 - Mar 6

Meals were shuffled around quite a bit last week due to one thing or another,  at least one was pulled from the freezer, to compensate for dealing with a sick toddler, and another meal was used twice (in that we had leftovers, and I didn't want to cook on Sunday); therefore, this week's menu may seem a bit repetitive since we did not use all of last week's meals.

The second half of this menu covers the first half of Cheesefare week (Meatfare Sunday is March 2, being the last day on which we eat meat until Pascha): we are allowed eggs and dairy, but no meat.  Our dinners will reflect this, while the kids' and my breakfasts, lunches, and snacks will not.

The Menu:

• Thursday: Thai Chicken-Coconut Soup with whole wheat noodles and stir-fried veggies
• Friday: Bean and Vegetable Soup (improvised from expected leftovers of Wednesday's Hoppin' John) with bread and salad
• Saturday: Pork in Cream with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli and carrot coins
• Sunday: Lunch: either at church or Eggs and Bacon (last time before Great Lent); Dinner: all the Meaty Leftovers our fridge contains.  Goodbye meat!
• Monday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches with Creamy Tomato Soup and a veggie tray with dip
• Tuesday: Micro-cooked Frittata with bread and butter and fruit salad
• Wednesday: CP Smashed Potato Soup with bread and a veggie tray
• Thursday: Leanne's CP Broccoli Tortellini (you pick some appropriate sides)

Hints to Persons of Moderate Fortune: Travelling and Public Amusement (Excerpts)

There is one kind of extravagance rapidly increasing in this country, which, in effects on our purses and our habits, is one of the worst kinds of extravagance; I mean the rage for travelling [sic], and for public amusements.  The good old home habits of our ancestors are breaking up -- it will be well if our virtue and our freedom do not follow them!  It is easy to laugh at such prognostics, -- and we are well aware that the virtue we preach is considered almost obsolete, -- but let any reflecting mind inquire how decay has begun in all republics, and then let them calmly ask themselves whether we are in no danger, in departing thus rapidly from the simplicity and industry of our forefathers.

... People of moderate fortune have just as good a right to travel as the wealthy; but is it not unwise? Do they not injure themselves and their families?  You say travelling is cheap.  So is staying at home.  Besides, do you count all the costs?

The money you pay for stages and steamboats is the smallest of the items.  There are clothes bought which would not otherwise be bought; ... you form an acquaintence with a multitude of people, who will be sure to take your house in their way, when they travel next year; and finally, you become so accustomed to excitement, that home appears insipid, and it requires no small effort to return to the quiet routine of your duties.  And what do you get in return for all this?  Some pleasant scenes which will soon seem to you like a dream; some pleasant faces, which you will never see again; and much of crowd, and toil, and dust, and bustle.

... People who have little to spend, should partake sparingly of useless amusements; those who are in debt should deny themselves entirely. Let me not be supposed to inculcate exclusive doctrines.  I would have every species of enjoyment as open to the poor as to the rich; but I would have people consider well how they are likely to obtain the greatest portion of happiness, taking the whole of their lives into view; I would not have them sacrifice permanent respectability and comfort to present gentility and love of excitement; above all, I caution them to beware that this love of excitement does not grow into a habit, till the fireside becomes a dull place, and the gambling table and the bar-room finish what the theatre began.

... We make a great deal of talk about being republicans [as in, citizens of a republic, however, I am not entirely sure how she is using this word. --PK]; if we are so in reality, we shall stay home, to mind our own business, and educate our children, so long as one or the other need our attention, or can suffer by our neglect.

Excerpted from The American Frugal Housewife. Dedicated to Those Who Are not Ashamed of Economy., written by Mrs. Child and first published in 1828.  Bold text added by me.

We traveled a week or so ago, and "Home," indeed, "appears insipid": truly, "it requires no small effort to return to the quiet routine of [my] duties."  Hanchetts, if you happen to be reading, we had a lovely time at your abode and would visit again in a heartbeat.  It is a shame that ours is such a transient society.

Weekly Menu plan to follow.

Giving Up Organic? I Really Don't Want to, But....

I've gone totally organic (very briefly).  I've gone partially organic occasionally.  I've gone selected organic.  I've gone organic with animal products but not veggies.  And now, on my limited budget, I am slipping back into my frugal roots: my excitement at (and the necessity of) sticking to my budget, that "amazing buy" thinking, is winning over my desire to "go organic."

But I still have the desire to buy good food that is less-tainted by pesticides and added hormones.  I like the idea of cows eating grass out in pastures instead of being confined to a stall and eating "feed"and chickens pecking in a field instead of existing in a small cage.  And I don't want to think about "mechanically separated" meat (you can do a search on that one).

But this on last trip, I bought ALDI butter.  On the trip before that I bought smoked sausage containing both nitrates and nitrites.  Oh, and of course, two of our meals in the past two weeks mainly consisted of ALDI's frozen pizza.

I'd like to continue to buy organic butter, especially since toxins are stored in the fat of an animal's body.  I'd prefer to buy organic meat, especially red meat since I can detect a huge difference in taste.  Cage-free, Vegetarian-fed eggs would be ideal.  But again, these things, I cannot always afford.

I'm still buying my raw milk since it is a totally different food than its pasteurized counterpart.  But other than that, I'm going to focus on buying food that's not full of chemicals, that's made from unrefined flours and sugars (when possible).  I'm going to base most of these decisions on how I feel after eating these foods and on taste.  I'd also like to continue to do some actual research in this department.  I wonder what place organic foods will have on our table in the coming months....

The Budget Within the Budget

I began errand day yesterday, as usual, shopping at ALDI.  I stock up on as many staples there as I can buy that do not have artificial coloring or too many artificial ingredients.  My small budget has made me relax somewhat on what I will buy for our family to eat.  I didn't used to buy anything with ingredients I didn't recognize as food or something I knew to be from a truly edible source -- such as vitamin E (tocopherals) or carrageenan (a thickener from seaweed).  I've limited my list of "don't buy's" to artificial colors, partially hydrogenated oils (though I bought some flavored potato chips that contained these yesterday...), and just an extra-long list of ingredients (like their "salted peanuts" which have more than two ingredients... how many ingredients do you need for something called "salted peanuts"?  Oh well...).

Anyway, I added a few things to my cart that weren't on the list, and I decided to buy diapers and wipes here instead of seeing if I could save a few pennies at KMart.  I didn't have the patience for a fourth store yesterday.  I was a little nervous at ALDI from putting some items in the cart that weren't on the list.  And sure enough, the total went over $50, when I've recently been averaging between $30 and $40 there.

My level of anxiety began to rise as I walked around Andy's Fruit Ranch trying to estimate (without actually weighing anything) what the produce in my cart would cost.  It dawned on me that last week's list had been very carefully picked over: I had actually written down estimations of what each item would cost and thought about where I would purchase each item before leaving the house.  And when my price total ventured over $100, I had to stop and cross some things off or alter the dinner plan.  I didn't have the time for this since I waited until the last minute to make my menu and grocery list this week -- and frankly I forgot to do it.  Andy's total turned out to be around $35 as usual, however, since I didn't allow myself to buy anything extra there.

But this left me with $23 in my wallet -- obviously I'd started with more than $100 this week, using our leftover vacation money as well as my budgeted grocery money.  I did make it through Trader Joe's, spending $22.56, but I had to forego those wonderful sprouted noodles I mentioned in my last post, coffee (we have some odds and ends of various blends at home for when we run out of the regular stuff), and the sherry or white wine to add to the stroganoff.  I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised that I didn't have the cash for extra alcohol since we are on a limited budget and alcohol is a luxury.  It's just so cheap at Trader Joe's that I forget that occasionally.  I also decided to grab juice boxes for Sunday School as usual, since I like to provide that for the kids staying with their parents during Adult Sunday School, which also contributed to my lack of cash for alcohol.

So, my lessons learned are (1) I need to actually estimate how much the individual items on my list will cost.  I've been grocery shopping long enough that I can do this off the top of my head: it doesn't have to be perfect, but then if one thing turns out to be more, you can balance that with an item that turns out to be cheaper or make some choices while you are shopping.  I know some people like to go to the store and buy the cheapest possible foods while there and then make out a menu, but that stresses me out, and I think the planning would take way to long.  (2) If I'm going to do this, I can't wait until the day of (or even just the day before) to start planning my menu and list.  Not that these things take days to accomplish, but with little ones needing me every 15 minutes or so, it's much more relaxing to start early and finish the menu and basic grocery list one day, add a few staples as I discover we're out the next day, and estimate prices and tweak on the next. 

(3) If I do these things, I won't be anxious while shopping because I will have a budget within the budget.  Does that make sense?  I can have a grocery budget of $100 and know that there isn't any more to spend than that, but if I don't actually plan how much will go to what item within the grocery list, I might come to the end of the money and not have enough for the frozen chicken breasts, discovering that I should have passed up the canned soup earlier in the day.

So, next week, I'll be sure to do the estimating step.  It sounds like a lot of time and thought to put into a grocery list, but if you want to plan your meals and make sure you have everything you need to cook them, while staying under budget, I think it's an essential step.

Dinner Menu Plan: Feb 22 - Feb 28

It's Thursday, which is when I do my grocery shopping, so I am posting my menu for this week.  I make a lot of 6-serving meals, so we usually have leftovers (unless I decide to halve the recipe at the last minute, which I do occasionally).  These are what my husband takes for lunches -- very rarely do I have to make him a sandwich.  Often there are enough leftovers for my lunch as well or to make into another meal, but that is something I try to plan for.  Like last week, we had Easy Italian Chicken and tonight I will make the leftovers (along with other leftover veggies) into some kind of Chicken Veggie Soup.  I'll get the bread machine going before I run my errands too, so we'll have that wonderful addition to the meal.  Add a salad, and I'm done tonight!

Here's the rest of the week's menu (with Wednesday as a fasting day):

Fri: CP Beef Stroganoff with Sprouted Whole Wheat

       Papparedelle Noodles (these are at Trader Joe's -- 

       yum!), a salad and/or steamed carrots

Sat: CP Thai Style Coconut-Chicken Soup with stir-fried

       veggies and whole wheat thin spaghetti noodles

Sun: Lunch - Bacon, Eggs, Muffins, some kind of fruit

        Dinner - frozen pizza again, with a salad or a veggie tray

Mon: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (with some kind of yummy

         gourmet cheese from Trader Joe's, yet to be determined),

         either plain, canned Tomato Soup or Bacon and Tomato 

        Soup which I will attempt to adapt to the CP, and a veggie

        tray with ranch

As the next three are Leanne's, I won't be posting her side dish options, but you can come up with something yourself.  Think of a balanced meal as containing meat, starch/carbs, and veggies (yellow, green, and orange are the most nutritious, or anything else with a deep color).

Tue: CP Turkey Stuffed Green Peppers 

Wed: CP Hoppin' John

Thu: CP Pork in Cream

If those three dishes sound enticing, check out Leanne Ely's Menu Mailers!  (Psst!  She does all this menu planning and grocery-list making work for you!)

Some Menu Notes

• I am currently trying to keep my weekly food, diaper, toiletry budget (for our family of four -- two adults, one toddler, and one baby) to $100 or less.  We'll see if this is possible or not.
• Normally, Wednesdays and Fridays are fasting days, which means no meat, dairy, or alcohol (or olive oil).  I also try to avoid meat (or at least meat-heavy) meals on Monday for purely thrifty reasons.  (Although, this week there is no fasting at all.)
• Sundays I list lunch because we don't eat breakfast and are at church all morning.  We often have at least my brother for company (if not others as well), and I am exhausted from chasing my two-and-a-half-year-old around the church, so I like to know what we are having.  I also try to make it something slightly special, so I want to make sure I have ingredients for the "special" part on hand (bacon, muffins, syrup for pancakes, etc.).
• Sunday dinner, then, is something incredibly easy.  Think frozen pizza, frozen leftovers, take-out if we have the money, or anything else that requires little brain power or cooking-by-me time.
• I make all our bread in a bread machine.
• I use my Crock Pot most days.  Most recipes need about four hours on high to cook a main dish, so I aim for getting the recipe finished and Crock turned on by 2PM.  That way, dinner can be ready by 6PM.  I also make a lot of use of a rice cooker and a smaller Crock Pot that can be used to steam veggies or boil potatoes.  I haven't had a lot of experience adapting my own recipes to the slow cooker, but I am willing to try.  I think especially this Lent I will be attempting to convert some of Leanne's Vegan Recipes to Crock Pot ones.
• My menus can be used with your own favorite recipes for whatever dish I list.  If you'd like a specific recipe I haven't posted, please email me: perelandracbc@yahoo.com.  I can't pass on entire Menus from Leanne, though, so don't ask.  You need to subscribe to one of her MenuMailers for that.

Dinner Menu Plan: Feb 15 - Feb 21

I'd like to start posting our menus here.  Maybe -- if you also happen to be a fast-observant Orthodox  Christian and interested in healthy, low-cost, good food -- you can make use of these menus.  

For reference, I am a nursing Mommy (nursing two, actually), so I make lenten dinners for our family and add a glass of milk or a chicken breast (or other easy-to-prepare meat) as I feel the need.  When I am pregnant, I probably add both.  (For more info on pregnancy nutrition, visit BlueRibbonBaby.org.)  CP stands for Crock Pot.  And Leanne Ely is the creator of Saving Dinner.  This menu has Friday as a fast day, but the following week has no fast days.

Fri:  Leftover (frozen) Leanne's CP Seafood Paella (fish omitted) 

        with salad and bread 

Sat: Out of town, but we had Veggie Bacon Potato Soup with 

        salad and a fruit tray

Sun: Lunch - Pulled Pork Sandwiches, chips, salad; 

        Dinner - Pizza

Mon: Leanne's CP Black Bean Sausage Soup, leftover 

         Paella, and salad

Tue: Tuna Stuff on Rice with raw cauliflower and 

        carrot sticks and homemade ranch dressing.

Wed: Easy Italian Chicken, buttered wide whole 

        wheat noodles, steamed broccoli

Thu: Wednesday's leftover chicken and veggies (and noodles?) 

        made into a CP Chicken Veggie Soup with bread and 

        butter and maybe salad

Crock Pot Recipe: Italian Chicken

Tonight, we are going to have Easy Italian Chicken, modified from the cookbook Better Homes and Gardens Biggest Book of Slow Cooker Recipes.  (A friend gave me this cookbook as a wedding present and it has been one of my favorites; the other favorite is How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman, also a wedding gift.)  I bought some cabbage (a thrifty standby!) a couple of weeks ago and I have just the last quarter of it to use up, so this recipe jumped out at me when I was planning this week's meals last week.  Here is my modified recipe:

Easy Italian Chicken

1/2 a medium head of cabbage, cut into wedges (12 ounces) --My quarter head weighed out at this amount.

1 medium onion, sliced and separated in rings (1/2 cup) --Onions were 59 cents for three pounds last week at my local produce market!

2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 to 2 1/2 pounds meaty chicken pieces --I'm using skinless chicken thighs.

2 cups meatless mushroom spaghetti sauce  --The original recipe called for a small can of mushrooms, but since mushroom spaghetti sauce is 99 cents at ALDI, I opted to combine these two items and save a little bit of money. 

Grated Parmesan Cheese  --I don't skimp here.  We eat real parmesan that looks like cheese and doesn't come from a green can.

(1) Layer cabbage, then onions, then mushrooms on the bottom of your crock.  Sprinkle tapioca over the vegetables.  Place chicken pieces on vegetables and pour spaghetti sauce over the chicken.

(2) Cover and cook on low for 6 to 7 hours or on high for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.  Transfer to a serving platter, and sprinkle with Parmesan.

I'll try to post a photo later.

Hillbilly Housewife

My Mother sent me a link to a great resource: Hillbilly Housewife. This site has the best and easiest Whole Wheat Bread recipe for a bread machine that I've ever come across. I baked a perfectly shaped and textured loaf on the very first try without even remembering to monitor the dough ball during the kneading process. I've also tried "Fred's Favorite Rolls" -- we ate nearly the entire recipe in one sitting.

Fresh bread at a meal is so satisfying: it allows a meal to be comprised of fewer and cheaper dishes while still giving the diners enough satisfaction with the meal to not feel like snacking later or to feel like they have been deprived because you are sticking to a budget. Since most of us buy (or grew up on) store-bought bread, it feels like a real treat to have freshly baked bread, even if it comes out of a machine -- and this is something that can save so much money for the things on which you do not want to compromise by buying something of lesser quality. To me, it's a must if you are going the healthy thrifty route.

Introductions

Our family's small income and my love of good and healthy food has put me on a quest to find ways to maximize our food budget while continuing to provide my family with food that I believe is nutritious and unharmful to our bodies. I will be sharing my struggles with buying or not buying organic foods (and other organic products), avoiding transfats, making food from scratch, deciding when to eat less-than-ideal foods, and feeding it all to a family that includes a picky toddler while (somehow!) not spending every waking hour in the kitchen.