February's Travelers Notebook Insert -- Using up more than just pantry items.

A Few Things from the Kitchen

An attempt at cake doughnuts.

They weren’t pretty,but they tasted good.

Philly Cheesesteak Stuffed Peppers and Rosemary Potatoes

Gluten free Sausage, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits

Frugal Happenings for the Week Beginning 1/20/19

Sunday

• We had company.  My husband and one of our nephews went to see a matinee, which is at a reduced price.  I opted to not go because I am not crazy about the noise level in movie theaters, and I am not particularly interested in Sci-Fi movies.  
• Our daughter came over and joined us all for supper.  I used a coupon and ordered pizza.  There was enough leftover to send home with her for another meal.
• I worked in my planners (life gets busy this time of year) and used mostly Dollar Tree products in the "decoration."
• My daughter and I went to Michaels and bought a few stickers.  We used a $20 off of $50 to keep our costs down.  She has recently gotten busy enough that she is planning too.  However, she hasn't had time to slowly build up a supply of stickers.  This gave us a chance to find her a good selection at a discounted price.  Plus it was a great short trip for just us girls.

Monday

• We made the trip back to my home county.  Since we were on the road we shared a meal.  
• I used up the last of a few cleaning supplies tidying our home away from home.
• I ran several loads of laundry, but was able to consolidate at least two of them.  
• We loaded the car down with food to bring with us.  It may not sound frugal, but one of the downsides to rural living is that everything is more expensive and limited.  Bringing with us cuts down the amount I spend considerably.
• We gassed up before we came on into the county.  We just buy gas locally unless we are on the road, but again it is cheaper out of the county.  (I'm sure in part to the cost of them delivering to this area.)
• The temperature was bitterly cold, and we dressed accordingly rather than crank up the heater to a higher setting.

Tuesday

• Again it was bitterly cold.  I took various canned veggies and started a pot of vegetable soup with beans for a healthy protein.  
• When the sun came out good, I opened the blinds and curtains to take advantage of the solar heat.  
• I needed to wash curtains, but waited until almost sundown since I knew I would be drying them in the dryer.  The added heat helped warm the house.
• I served leftover soup from lunch for our supper and baked a pan of gluten free biscuits to go with the soup.  Since the oven was on anyway I baked a pantry peach crisp (using canned peaches).
• We went to Dollar General to pick up a few items I needed for the kitchen here — cinnamon, mayo, baking powder, sugar, and some plastic measuring cups and spoons.

Wednesday

• The temperature went back up.  When the sun was out I opened the blinds up.
• I used leftover biscuits from supper as the start of breakfast.
• I shampooed another of the carpets....at considerable savings.  (I’m two rooms down and slowly working my way through the house.)
• I batched cooked 2 pounds of ground turkey, which allowed me to get a head start on a couple of meals and take advantage of larger packaging sizes at a better price.
• I used scrap paper for note taking.

Thursday

• A rainy, dreary day and we had to be out.  Rather than double trip distances we saved gas by me waiting in the car at my husband's office for an hour before our errand.  I took advantage of the time to catch up on some phone calls and to work on a knitting project. 
• I used the crockpot for pasta sauce and then baked a spaghetti squash as the day progressed.  The oven helped warm the house.

Friday

• No spend day.  No traveling.  No anything.  My husband did request a change in menu plan and wanted "junk" food.  I was able to pull fries and hotdogs from our food supplies -- so we had fast food at a far lower cost than eating out.
• Because I knew I would have to use the dryer, I opted to run laundry late at night when the extra heat would be appreciated.  Made for a late night because the last load didn't come out until almost midnight, but the added warmth was nice, and the heater didn't kick on and off as much.

Saturday

• Another no spend day.  Lunch let me use up a jar of home canned soup.  Supper I used up  the leftover pasta sauce to make a baked zucchini dist.

Big Mac in a Bowl (New to Us Recipe)

I’m not a huge Big Mac fan, but my husband loves them.  We decided to try this recipe.

http://healthytofit.org/big-mac-in-a-bowl-healthy-and-fit/

It was a hit.  I even enjoyed them.  I did make a few changes.  I used ground turkey, which I cooked with onions and bell pepper added.  I seasoned it with garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  We also used a regular Thousand Island Dressing.

Batch Cooking Ground Turkey — Mini Cooking Session

I haven’t really felt the need to do huge cooking days since I am only cooking for two right now.

However, I still like to do some meal prep.  Now I am mostly just doubling or tripling when I cook.

I took 2 pounds of ground turkey and divided it for four meals.

I seasoned this with bell pepper, onion, garlic powder, salt, and pepper to keep it kind of generic.

I made one meatloaf for the freezer.  I’ll cook this in the crockpot when I cook it.

I kept one portion out for Big Mac in a Bowl (recipe share coming tomorrow) — I kept this warm in the crockpot until supper time.

One portion went into the refrigerator — it will go in pasta sauce to serve over spaghetti squash.

The last portion went into the freezer and will either go in chili, a “hamburger” helper, or another pasta dish.  

Gluten Free Cheese Crackers

The gluten free cheese cracker recipe I used is here.

https://realfoodrn.com/gluten-free-cheez-it-crackers/amp/

As always I made a few changes —
I used Better Batter flour and salted butter (was on sale a while back).
I would also use either a sharper cheese or a little more cheese next time.
(I’m wondering how they would do with the addition of a little powdered cheese for kick.  Might be a way to use a macaroni and cheese mix and have the pasta for another dish.  Not certain.)

Crocheting for Myself

One of my friends (Thanks Jenn!) shared a link to a crocheted sweater pattern that is basically two hexagon granny "squares"  with a little alteration.  This time of year I wear heavy sweaters day and night, and this pattern looks like it should be warm.  I decided to start one for myself.  I'm using a red acrylic yarn -- in deference to my husband's wool allergies and because it is machine washable and dryable.  Red because it is a color that makes me happy.

The original pattern is here:

https://makeanddocrew.com/day-date-easy-crochet-sweater-pattern/

Too Good to Pass Up

We always try to keep a little extra set aside in my grocery funds so that if a “too good to pass up” opportunity comes along we can take advantage of it.  Like a lot of areas, our local Aldi upgraded, but for some reason it feels as if their produce and general stock has gone down.  Also of concern to me is that a lot of labels have changed.....perhaps different distribution centers?

This week Lidl mailed out coupons for up to $40 off of $200.  I decided to take advantage of it and restock some of my pantry items while I was picking up this week’s produce and fresh items.  I also picked up somethings for my daughter.  Since I was by myself I didn’t try to photograph everything.

The cookies and toaster strudels are to go to my daughter’s place.  The canned and jarred items are for the pantry.  She can have any she wants.  The large box has various items like rice, pickles, applesauce, olives, roasted red peppers, chips, rice cakes, oils, foil, freezer bags, etc.  I also bought some herbs and seasonings, extracts, and a few items like that.  

What I did not get photographed was the refrigerator items.  I bought milk, eggs, cheeses (multiples of various kinds) lemons, apples, spaghetti sauqsh , potatoes, onions, mushrooms, bacon, kielbasa, and chicken.

Frugal Happennings for week beginning 1/13/19

Sunday

• My daughter was having internet issues and came over to use ours.  (Hers is finally fixed...intermingling of cable companies was causing issues as the company is having switch over problems -- aka growing pains.)  I pulled some chicken from the freezer and a bottle of barbecue sauce from the pantry.  A can of string beans and a bag of frozen cauliflower rounded out the meal.  (I cooked double and we ate leftovers the next night.)
• I used the oven to help supplement the heat since this was one of the coldest days we have had.

Monday

• I was down one day with a migraine....I didn't cook anything and instead ate up the little bits of leftovers in the fridge.  It made for an easier day for me and now my fridge is rid of any lingering foods.
• I put cold coffee in the refrigerator to have later in the week.

Tuesday

• I had a dentist appointment and my migraine was still lingering.  Other than the dental exam costs, this was a no spend day.  I continued with just eating what I could scrounge together because the migraine was lingering.

Wednesday

• My migraine was finally gone.  I spent the day doing "frugal" exercise...aka housework.  LOL  
• I picked up prescriptions at CVS.  Never truly frugal, but this company is one that works well with my insurance.  They're also near me so I save travel costs.   
• I mailed a package to my grandson.  The postal service still continues to be less expensive than other delivery services.
• While I was out running errands I stopped at a FoodLion near the post office.  I rarely go to this store unless I am out that way.  I needed some supplies for my cats.  While I was there I picked up some coffee that was on sale.  I also picked up one package of gluten free ciabatta rolls --never on sale, but these are fabulous, and I can usually make a package of 4 last for a while since I tend to only serve half to each of us.

Thursday

• My daughter came over for supper -- an impromptu meal of pressure cooker macaroni and cheese was pulled together.  (one of her favorites)
• We went to a new to us pet supply store.  She needed some items for her cat, and we were able to get them at a discount by signing up for the store rewards program.
• While we were out we went to Hobby Lobby, too.  I needed one more skein of yarn for the prayer shawl I am working on.  I also needed more red yarn for a sweater I am crocheting.  While we were there I found a small appointment book (purse size) that was missing it's packaging.  The manager couldn't find a price or any more like it, so they sold it to me for $4.99.  This was a substantial savings of somewhere between $20 and $30 depending on where I price them.  This was also something I needed.  While I love my big planner it is too large to carry in my bag.

Friday

• I stocked up at Lidl using a $40 off of $200.  I bought the fresh items for the week and then shelf stable items for the pantry.  (I also picked up some items to go to my daughter's place.)  I came home with flats of canned veggies, beans, pasta sauce, and various other things.  

Saturday

• We checked out books from the local library -- including two cookbooks that I am glad I checked out instead of buying because I found them to be quite disappointing.
• My husband and I shared a fast food salad while we were out.  We have found that we both usually only eat about half so this works well for us.  There was no need to buy two and take home leftovers because I already had prepared extra the night before in anticipation of needing a quick meal Saturday night.
• We had popcorn for our movie snack (Netflix) in honor of National Popcorn Day.
• I did laundry and hung a load to dry.

Temperature Blanket Progress

I'm slowly, but surely, making progress on my temperature blanket.

Trying a Pinterest Recipe

I tried my hand at homemade "Cheez Its."

They weren't to bad, but in the future I will probably add more cheese.  

The recipe is a simple one, and I'll probably make these again.

A Week of Simple Dishes

 I’m still adjusting to one and sometimes only two being around at meal time.  Added to that for this week has been a topsy turvy schedule that has had me not knowing who would be here until the day of and sometimes mere hours before.  So in no particular order these are the main dishes I pulled together in keeping with the pantry challenge.

 We served breakfast one night that included hash.  I know this isn’t the healthiest dish, but I always keep some in my hurricane box.  Once the season has passed I try to make sure we rotate this stock.  

 

I thawed a 2 pound package of lean ground turkey breast, which I used in a pot of vegetable soup and for filling for Shepherd’s or Cottage Pie.  I had enough to make two casseroles so I took advantage and made one for the freezer for next week.  To change it up I’ll serve the one tonight topped with mashed potatoes, but I’ll use a box of stuffing from the pantry to give the second one a different twist next week.  I love it when I can cook once and get multiple meals from it.  (The soup will be for my lunches and for anyone who wants a bowl as a side with meals.) 

Pumpkin Oatmeal bars that used up the rest of a can of pumpkin and some lingering raisins.

A simple dessert using a box of pudding I had hidden in the pantry.

Homemade pizza night -- I made pepperoni rolls for my daughter and then a pan pizza (gluten free) for myself.

Sorry for the dark photo -- beef stew using home canned veggies and beef from the freezer.

 I baked a small pan of macaroni and cheese, and the leftovers went home with my daughter for her to have a quick meal on her busiest day.

Then for a lunch for myself, as I continue to eat up the hurricane food supply, I heated a can of chili and topped it with some cheese.  

Frugal Happenings for Last Week

Last week was a quiet week at home.  I stayed in most of the week and that really helped me save money.  I find it is harder to spend if I am not out and about.  In my posts I've already shared everything I spent, but I was careful to keep my shopping to things that were needed.  I stuck to the plan of using food items on hand, and I used up some more bits of cleaners.

So it is with great amusement that I say I have very little share to this week.

1.  I have used up the last of the yarn I had for the prayer shawl and will need one more skein.  I had remnants left and used those up to make two knit hats.  I'll be giving these away.

2.  I was supposed to go to Michaels with my sister, and this trip was cancelled.  While I am sorry we didn't go, it made for another no spend day.

3.  It has been a cold week, and I've worn double layers.  I've waddled like a penguin, but I've stayed warm without having to turn the heat up.

That's it....lol....not a low spend week, but definitely not a high rolling week either.

Nothing Beats Homemade

In an effort to keep using up items on hand I decided to look for recipes that will use up some of the canned pumpkin I have.  I found this recipe I had saved for a cakelike chocolate pumpkin doughnuts.  I altered mine to make them gluten free and for some reason I only ended up with 6 instead of the 8 the recipe said it would make.  However, they were a hit.  

The original recipe is here.

https://www.dashofsanity.com/chocolate-pumpkin-cake-donuts/

Grocery Fill In for the Week

My daughter needed to run to Aldi to pick up a few things so I tagged along with her.

I went ahead and picked up what we needed to round out any gaps. 

I spent $25.17 to round meals out for the upcoming week, so that wasn't too bad.

I have used up the last of my homecanned string beans. From this point until the next canning (which I don't think I will be doing this year because if all goes according to plan I will be packing this house up and heading back to my home town) I will use either frozen or store canned beans.  Obviously I won't use these all in a week, but my general method for Aldi veggies is to buy a flat at a time and keep them on hand. 

In addition to those beans I needed:

2 cartons of milk

1 bag of zucchini (has 3 in it)

1 bag of green bell peppers (has 3 in it)

a package of Philly cheesesteak meat (We are trying a new recipe.)

a package of taco shells

a package of Provolone cheese

a package of riced cauliflower (frozen)

Thrift Store Finds

One of the things I've run into this year -- and some of you have probably also experienced -- is that after all these years some of my kitchen bowls and dishes are either biting the dust or ready to be retired.  One of the upsides to cooking at home is that you use things….the downside is that nothing lasts forever.  In this case, some of my bowls that were older than my children have just outlived their safe usefulness.  After clearing out a lot of things that I didn't use and then clearing out all the items that had reached their "expiration" date, I found myself with very minimal pieces.  Fewer than I was comfortable with.

My last trip to the thrift store didn't yield anything, but today I had to drop off some items from my continued downsizing. Seems odd to talk about downsizing and buying at the same time -- but it all ties back to my theme of purposeful for this year.  The downsized pieces did not serve a purpose for us, and I know someone else can use them.  My finds for today will serve me for years with a little care just like the pieces I had to retire.

For $17 -- less than half of just the cost of the casserole dish new -- I found just enough pieces to replace a small portion of what I cleared out.  I knew I didn't want as many pieces and definitely wanted multi use options from whatever I found.

A Rachel Ray 4.5 quart casserole dish, which was the most expensive piece at $4.99.  I'll use this for casseroles for family dinners and as a serving tray for finger foods.  It also heavy enough to make a great tea and biscuits try.  In my local stores these are ranging anywhere from $40 to $60.  Not a bad savings at all.

A pasta bowl from Italy.  I'll use this for serving almost anything.  They're beautiful not only heaped with pasta, but with a pretty salad or any veggies and fruit.

3 nesting Corelle bowls in a print I love.  These don't even appear to have been used. I'm guessing someone just stuck them in their cabinets.  (I scrubbed the sticker residue off of them kind of thing.)  They're oven and microwave safe so they'll do triple duty.  I can use them for mixing, for baking, and for serving. These are a 1, 2, and 3 quart sized.  (This pattern is discontinued, but online it varies in price.  Amazon has a set listed for $60.)  I may see if I can find more of this set because I really like the pattern.

Technical Difficulties -- Solved? Maybe?

First an apology -- to anyone whom I have not responded to, I am sorry.  I'm not sure what was or is going on with my comments.  I think I have it set now where they are coming through.  Hopefully this week will show if I am on the right track or not.

Make and Mend

Last week I picked up a pair of fleece pajama pants from the thrift store.  New fabric is anywhere from $5 a yard and up depending on what I looked at.  Since I was making a cat bed and I also like the idea of repurposing fabric, the thrift store seemed like the logical place to look.  I found a pair of 3X sized pants that had plenty of fabric for what I needed.  The bonus was I paid $1.69 for them.

I already had an old flattened bed pillow that I wanted to use for the insert.  (Due to allergies we don’t use feather pillows and the pillows we buy tend to flatten over time.  There’s nothing wrong with them per say except as they flatten they don’t offer much support.)

Since this was a simple project, I decided to allow myself the pleasure and time of hand sewing it.  It didn’t take long, but if you were in a hurry a sewing machine would make quick work of it.  I simply cut the legs off just below the crotch seem and went to work on sewing the legs closed. I turned it right side out and inserted the pillow.  A quick whip stitch of the elastic waist band finished my casing, but then I decided to do some light hand sewing on the bottom to smooth it out a little where the crotch seam was.  (I did go with whip stitch so when my daughter wants to wash the cover we can easily remove it.  I looked at either buttons or ribbons, but realized the cat would have a field day with those...lol)

A simple cat be doing that cost me less than $2 out of pocket.

Since I already had my needle and thread out, I went ahead and mended a dining chair cushion. The kitty had pulled the tie off. However I am not certain any of them were seen on securely because at this point I think I’ve reattached them all

Frugal Happenings for Last Week

In no particular order some frugal things I didn’t mention in my previous posts from this past week:

• I cooked a ham.  I used the ham broth to make potato soup and added some bits of ham.  I sent home some of the ham with my daughter.  I used some in omelettes.  We ate some at various times.    I also went over to my daughter’s apartment and helped her make a quiche for her breakfasts for this week.  (More like watched while she made it, but she just wanted me to make certain she was doing it in a way that it would turn out like her favorite.)
• I carried a large carload of items to goodwill.  This may not sound frugal, but I have found that lessening our load is quite freeing, but more importantly during this clean out I found a couple of items I thought were gone forever and had been planning to replace so I actually managed to save money.
• I printed  free larder and freezer inventory sheets to go in my household binder.
• I found some cute books at Goodwill for my grandson.
• I bought a pair of fleecy pajama pants at Goodwill for $1.69 to turn into a cat bed cover for my daughter’s cat.
• I found three puzzles my son and his family will enjoy while at Goodwill.  They were unopened and the set goes together to create a panoramic scene from a movie they love.
• Our newest and nicest home printer went with our daughter.  I pulled the old one that no longer duplexes out and am making do with it.  For now it will work for my household needs.
• We needed an electronic device and after some shopping around found the cheapest option for the brand required by our provider was to order from Amazon, where we were able to use both a coupon and take advantage of free shipping.
• I used my small air fryer oven to save on electricity usage rather than run the larger oven whenever it was possible.
• We continued to work to use up what was on hand as I work to clear the freezers and pantry.

What did you do to save money last week?

Technical Difficulties

I’m having trouble with Blogger not sending comment notifications so that I know to respond.  I’m bribing my techie with a promise of a treat — LOL — to look into it for me.  So please bear with me for a few days until I figure out what is going on with this.

A Few Household Items to Start Out the Year

Back in November whilst we were traveling my husband and I decided that our joint theme for 2019 would be purposeful living.  For me this means a lot of things, but one key thing I’ve decided to do is not fill my life with things that do not have a purpose.  (I’m not treating purpose and practical as synonyms, but purpose as in meaning for me.) With that in mind I have been purging some things and on the flip side also keeping a running list of some things I feel will enhance our lives.

On my list — now that I am cooking for two almost exclusively — was some smaller baking dishes.  I found these cute mini pie plates at Walmart and some cloth napkins in prints that make me happy.  (I used a gift card to pay for these.)  They’re from the Pioneer Woman line.

There was also a small set of two pots / casserole dishes that I liked.  They were perfectly sized for fitting in my new air fryer oven, but I balked at paying $20 for them.  I decided to keep using my cake pans even though in the back of my head I’ve been worried about messing up my favorites.

When my daughter and I were out at Goodwill looking for something totally unrelated, I decided to look through the kitchenware.  I found two Wilton egg shaped pans.  They’re the perfect size for my air fryer oven and the perfect size for a casserole or dish for two people.  Not only do I not have to worry about my cake pans, but I paid $1.69 a piece for these.  A frugal win!   

(I realize they aren’t floral and all pretty, but in this case I was willing to trade the pretty for the practical.)

Prayer Shawl Project

I picked out this soft cotton and acrylic blend for a crocheted prayer shawl for a family friend whose husband passed away.  I’m using a free pattern I found online at the Red Heart site.

It is called Top Down Shawl. 

It’s underway and my kitty, Zen, finally gave up trying to help. 

Temperature Blanket — First Project of 2019

I don’t know if any of you crocheters or knitters have seen the temperature blankets that have been around for the last several years, but I decided to make one this year.  The basic idea is that you take a range of colors and do one row on a blanket in the color corresponding to that temperature range each day.  At the end of the year you have a blanket representing the year’s temps.  I found most of my inspiration on Pinterest.

I’m doing my own variation of this.  The pattern I decided I wanted to do will never handle 365 rows because each “row” is actually a two row repeat.  My plan is to make one for the first part of the year and then if time and finances allow I’ll make a summer blanket and a fall blanket.

These are the colors I selected.  I found my yarn at Hobby Lobby.

I’ve established my start of my pattern — Can you believe we had 70 degree weather on January 1st?

A Quick Grocery Top Off for an Already Full Larder

I don’t know about everyone else, but we are still juggling bits of this and that from the holidays when it comes to food.  I have extra apples and oranges — I see the possibility of making apple sauce and drying slices of orange for tea.  I cooked a ham, and I’ll be freezing part of that.  There’s candy, cookies, extras in the freezer....our larders are full!

My daughter went to Walmart today to get her groceries, and I went along with her.  I didn’t really need much and actually walked out spending less than $23.

That’s it!  My big shopping trip.  A little bottle of vinegar, some salad dressing, some yogurt, some milk, and some stevia.  (Not to worry though — I promise we have plenty on hand to eat!)

January Challenge — Use it Up

I don’t know why I didn’t photograph it, or if the photo simply didn’t “take”, but Carol (previously of CT on a Budget now on Facebook for those of you missing her blog like I was) has been encouraging us to make sure we don’t let any leftovers go to waste.  Always a good frugal practice!!!!  

After all the holiday indulgences we were craving some simple food and I made a pot of beef stew.  Of course we had leftovers.  I decided to turn the leftovers into a pot pie, which is missing from my saved photos.  Since I was going to dirty the food processor anyway to make pie dough and have the oven going, I thought I may as well have it all do double duty.  I made enough dough for three pie shells — double for the pot pie and single for this peach pie.  I cooked the pot pie at the lower temperature that the peach pie calls for (only about 50 degrees lower than I would normally cook the pot pie anyway) and just increased the time.  

 I used not only the beef stew, but all the ingredients came from items I already had on hand including using canned peaches for the pie. I reduced the sugar content and made both dishes gluten free. The bonus, my husband absolutely loves peach pie, and he was a happy camper!

Starting the Year Out Right — Frugal Living

The lore I grew up hearing in the South (and perhaps this is the same in other areas, too) is that whatever you spend January 1st doing is indicative of how your year will go.  While we opted not to do the traditional Hoppin John this year, I did give my nod to this tradition notion.  Nothing beats starting off the year on the right foot — the frugal foot.

I pulled two Cornish hens from the freezer and rubbed them down with olive oil and Greek seasonings.  I roasted them in the air fryer oven that I got for Christmas.  (The little red air fryer went with my daughter to her new place — lots of changes here in the last few weeks and I’ll try to catch everyone up as soon as I can.). We invited my daughter over for lunch and the three of us ate well.  Then I pulled almost 1 1/2 cups of meat from the bones to go in either a soup or casserole.  When I had finished that I simmered the carcass and ended up with a quart of flavorful chicken broth.  (I had picked the bones pretty well and there was about 1/3 cup of chicken I pulled off after simmering that I just added to the jar of broth.).  Not too shabby for two tiny hens.

Happy New Year!

Just like this lazy kitty, I was snoozing when the New Year came in, but earlier in the evening I spent time with my husband and daughter celebrating.  For you night owls (and early birds like me) I hope you had a wonderful evening, and I wish you all the best for 2019!