Tag Archives: frugal

Summer Bounty

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The girls have slowed down the egg production in this heat which has given me a chance to catch up with them. Finally down to one dozen!
Many many moons ago I was a Marine Technology major. The chef on the school’s  research vessel cooked kielbasa and scrambled eggs so often that you either learned to love it or hate it. I turned into a lover!

 

Being raised in southeastern N.C.  I had never had kielbasa before and it seems silly now but then it seemed like such a foreign food to me. But then I can remember eating my first bagel at the age of 12 that my best friend brought back from New York and feeling like I was betraying my southern heritage! Anyway, I got a kielbasa craving the other night and threw together a pretty tasty and colorful dinner.

Kielbasa, brussel sprouts, sweet potato, sliced tomatoes

Looking through the freezer and frig for something to inspire me to make dessert I found a lone bag of last year’s frozen shredded zucchini and some pineapple. Browsing around online I came across this Taste of Home recipe that I could use both in.

 

I adapted it by adding a cup of diced pineapple and added vanilla extract (instead of the almond called for in the recipe cause I didn’t have any) to the batter.  For the icing,  I had some cream cheese that had an expiration date coming up fast and needed to be used because I HATE throwing anything out. To my frugal way of thinking that’s like taking money out of my purse and just throwing it in the trash. About 1/2 cup cream cheese went along with the powdered sugar for the icing.

 

They turned out great! I kept half here and took the rest to work because GC and I just do not need to be alone with 24 muffins in the house. Lots of compliments from the work group so the recipe’s a keeper!

Zucchini Pineapple muffins with Caramel Cream Cheese Icing

Frugal Tip #3 – Eating Down the Pantry

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I used to be the worst at flying by the seat of my pants when it came to cooking meals. When grocery shopping I would just grab what looked good, caught my fancy or I was having a craving for and then try to figure out what to make with it when I got home.
Eldest son was staying with us a while back and suggested that I start menu planning. He’s such a smartie. I think he was secretly dreading mealtimes every day since he never knew what I would throw on the table. I’ve been known to fix PB&J sandwiches for multiple days in a row.
Sad I know.
I always thought it would be a royal pain in the rear to do menu planning but with his help setting up the initial list it was really easy.  With me typing and him calling out what we had in the pantry, in the fridge, you get the idea, we recorded the food inventory in no time flat.
Here’s a screenshot of what the pantry list looks like. I set it up in Excel so I can add or delete items easily. On one spreadsheet I have the staples list and on another one I set up the menu planning.

So, here’s what I do. My preference is on Sunday evening I sit down and make up the menu for the week first. That way I can stop at the grocery store on the way home from work Monday afternoon. Out here in boonieville plus being a commuter you learn that everything is bought “on the way home” so as to avoid unnecessary trips.
Sometimes I have an idea of what I want to cook and sometimes if I am trying to use up say the rest of the Thanksgiving turkey I’ll search for turkey recipes online. The photo recipe sites; Foodgawker, Tastespotting, and the like are some of my favorites ‘cause I like looking at the pictures.
Does that sound feeble or what? Anyhoo though, it has turned me on to some great blogs that I probably would not have found otherwise.
Back on track….so I get my menu worked up keeping in mind what I already have on hand or need to use up. If I come across an ingredient I do not have on hand I mark it on my list to BUY or add it to my list.
This week I didn’t have to stop at the store for anything, everything I needed I had on hand!  This has really kept me from impulse buying plus I no longer find surprises in my pantry.You cannot imagine the number of times I’ve thought “hmmm, better buy some BBQ sauce in case we grill this weekend” only to find 2 bottles already in the pantry that I forgot about.

Frugal Tip #2: Cook 3x’s What You Need – Occasionally

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I am a commuter. 40 miles round-trip into the city and back. There are lots of evenings that by the time I am done fixing dinner it’s almost time to go to bed. GC has attempted cooking a couple of times but believe me no one really wants that. He is great at lots of things but with the exception of biscuits cooking ain’t one of them.
So, because I am a hope for the best but plan for the worst kinda gal, I like to be ready for the days that I do not have time to cook. I have 2 friends that I rely on: Leftovers and Freezer.
This past New Year’s Day I cooked a big batch of hot wings and fried potatoes. I froze a 1/3, ate a 1/3 that day and used the last 1/3 for lunch Monday and dinner tonight. I cook extra at least once or twice a week so I always have a ready-to-go meal in the freezer. I do not like prepackaged convenience foods so this makes homemade meals easy when I’m pushed for time. Lots of times if I’m running late, GC will take leftovers out of the freezer and have them ready when I get home.
I love that about him.