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.

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)

5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Thank you all for the well wishes.  I’m mending.  Never as fast as I want because I am not used to being still, but I am grateful none the less.  I’m relying quite heavily on the crockpot for my meals.  I’m aiming for cooking supper and eating leftovers midday on the next day.  It is a cycle I prefer anyway.  It also works well because I wake up feeling refreshed and at my strongest.  My daughter, who still declines to be on camera, helped me film this one.  It was actually good enough that we will keep sauce hidden in the pantry just for this.  (I’m sure you could easily use homemade sauce and perhaps I’ll test it in the future.)

Planning Ahead and Using Up

In planning ahead for the month, I did an inventory of the pantry.  It hasn't really warmed up enough for me to do the freezer, but I do have my basic list of what I believe is in there.  (Hoping I was kind of diligent in marking things off.)  While I was in the pantry I tidied everything up so that is a nice feeling.  When I finished I made our grocery list out and placed an order with Sam's Club. (The original goal was for this to be the only shop for the month, but sometimes plans change.  Due to a death in the family, I have out of town guests coming to stay.  I think we will still be fine for the month based on what I have ordered, but since this was decided after I placed the order we will just have to see.  Either way, I am not worried about it.  Life has a way of working out.)

We started the morning out by making waffles.  I had put together several "bagged mixes" for pancakes for our beach trip, but we had only used one.  A few quick additions and I had waffle batter.  I cooked 10 waffles with plans for my daughter to have some to go with her breakfasts for this first week of classes.

Lunch was simply using up the leftover taco meat, which we rolled into flour tortillas, added a quick sprinkle of cheese, and microwaved. Since I knew I had a Sam's Club order coming I cleaned and straightened the refrigerator.  I have been being diligent about using things up, and I didn't have much in there to take out.  However, I did have leftover rice that needed using up.  Since I knew I had some BLSL chicken thighs that I am trying to use up and some stir fry veggies, I decided that a stir fry would be perfect.

Please send up prayers and positive thoughts for my extended family -- my aunt has passed away.  Also prayers for safe travels for us as we head that way.  We are leaving on still icy roads.  (I'm grateful that my sister and her fiance are letting me ride with them because they have a four wheel drive vehicle.  I don't live in an area where we get a lot of "snow driving" in and as such we don't keep vehicles prepared for it.)

3 of 12 — Pinto Bean Brownies

Recipe 3 of the 12 Days of Pintos came about faster than I had planned.

My grandson was helping me research recipes and saw the brownie recipe.

He had to have them “right now.”

Since I had the foresight to cook extra pinto beans, I decided they were destined to go in this recipe.

Pinto Bean Brownies

The original recipe linked above is vegan.

However, I made changes that made it vegetarian and allergy friendly for me.

I replaced the flax seed with one egg.

I used Sunbutter instead of peanut butter.

I used turbinado sugar and went with the 1/2 cup.

I also used corn oil instead of coconut oil.

Please ignore the flash.

I basically tossed it all in the food processor and let it mix until I had a batter consistency.

This shows the color better.  I divided it into 12 portions and baked it for 23 minutes. 

This is the baked results. 

These are quite good!

They have a nice texture and the flavor is good.

They’re not super sweet, but I did not add any chocolate chips or other add ins.

12 Days of Pintos

Obviously we aren’t going to eat pinto beans 12 days straight, but I thought for the months of December and January I would try to share 12 meals that use pinto beans.  In preparation for this, I bought this huge bag of beans at Sam’s Club.  I also bought 12 pounds of black beans, too...so maybe that will be a future post.

Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies (Recipe)

Chickpeas are so versatile.

 For dish three from the pound of chickpeas I cooked, I decided to go with something sweet.  The original recipe is from Veggie Inspired and is here — Cinnamon Chickpea Blondies.  

 Of course, I made some changes.   

 This is my version:   

 Preheat oven to 350F and lightly grease an 8”x8” pan. 

 In food processor bowl (with blade) combine the following and puree until smooth: 

 1 1/2 cups of cooked chickpeas 

 1/2 cup of sunbutter 

 1/4 cup of old fashioned oats (GF certified if needed) 

 2/3 cup sugar in the raw 

 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 

 1 1/2 tsps. Cinnamon 

 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

 1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

1/4 teaspoon salt   

 Pour into dish and bake for 30 minutes or until pulling away from side and top is firm.  (This took 35 minutes in my oven.)   

 So for my notes —

 1.  I used chickpeas without salt.  I’m not sure how well canned would work.

 2.  Sunbutter (and omitted additional nuts) due to allergies.  I would think any nut butter would work for those who don’t have to be careful. 

 3.  Original recipe calls for coconut sugar.  I’ve tried it and I’m not a fan. 

 4.  I used Aldi brand pure maple syrup.  Still costly, but not as costly as Whole Foods.

 5. I used imitation vanilla extract....sorry, but it is true.  I rarely buy the real deal because of costs. 

  

I tried to capture the texture in this photo.

These are soooo good!

The maple syrup is expensive and I would think you could use honey, agave, or perhaps even a Karo syrup.

However, it uses very little so if you keep some on hand I think it would be worth the splurge.

I have just a little bit of my chickpeas left.

Tomorrow I’ll share what I do with the last of them.

Canning Up a Storm

7 quarts of 15 bean soup -- basically a veggie chili

(4 have potatoes added and 3 have corn added)

7 quarts of vegetable soup (with chickpeas added for protein)

Canning Soup

Before I begin this post, let me say -- the canning police say this is a no-no!  

 Anyway, my husband grew up eating home canned chicken and rice.  He's often asked me to make it for him to carry with him during the week, but I never had.  I really had no point of reference for it.  I finally ran into someone who canned it.   She gave me her directions, and I decided to try it.

 The ingredients are simple: Salt, pepper, broth (or water), cooked chicken, brown rice, carrot and celery

 My cost per jar was less than $1.00 and I can pronounce all the ingredients.   This is an experiment to see how the rice holds up.  The plan is to open 1 jar a week and see how it does as time progresses.

   

Chocolate Frosting -- Grandmama Style

This simple frosting is the one I associate most with my childhood.  My grandmama almost always made a thin sheet cake and frosted it with this.  I do make mine a little thicker than she made hers.  (This is not the hardest fudge, but somewhere between.)

   Sift 4 cups of powdered sugar and set aside.    

 1 stick of butter
 4 tablespoons of cocoa powder
 1/3 cup of whole milk  

 Melt butter over a low/medium heat in a saucepan.  Whisk in cocoa powder and milk.  Bring to a boil (stirring as you go) and remove from heat.  Stir in sugar.  

 If you are frosting a layer cake this will do a large sheet pan.  If you are making a layer cake it will give generous layers of frosting.  Be forewarned, you need to be ready to frost your cake as soon as you finish mixing in the sugar because it starts to set up quickly.

Early Mornings

After pretty much a full day and night's sleep thanks to allergy medications, I was wide awake at an early morning hour.  I decided to take advantage of the coolest temps of the day to bake a cake. These are never the prettiest, becuase the frosting sets up quickly.  However, the taste is fabulous if you like old fashioned frosting.  Growing up this was the only kind of frosting I ever remember my paternal Grandmama making.  It is what I think of when I think of cake.

Not All Canning

I love having the freezer full, but fully recognize that the loss of power can make it dangerous to keep all things in the freezer.  I love canning and having things on the shelf.  However, I grew up believing you shouldn't put all your eggs into one basket.  This weekend I took advantage of a sale on bell pepper.  

12 large bell pepper yielded me enough bell pepper pieces for a full quart jar

These will be easy to toss into soups, stews, casseroles, etc.

I can choose to rehydrate them first, or just let the cooking liquid do it.

Since I already had the dehydrator out and on the counter, I decided to dry some mushrooms, too.

Dried mushrooms are my preference over canned.

They seem to add a depth to dishes.

(However, I will eat either and keep both on hand.)

Blueberry Scones the Easy Way (Recipe)

One of the things we picked up on sale this week was blueberries.

We decided to make blueberry scones, but I wanted to simplify the process.

I made these in silicone muffin cups for easy prep and clean up.

They're delcious, not too sweet, and could easily be adapted into an all food storage recipe.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Grease or line a muffin tin.

In a food processor bowl with a dough hook:

3/4 cup of water

1/3 cup of powdered milk

1/2 cup of shortening (butter or coconut oil)

1 egg

Whiz until mixed.

Add in:

 2 cups of all purpose flour

2 tablespoons of sugar

3/4 teaspoon of salt

2 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder

2 teaspoons of orange zest (I use dried)

Blend until just combined.  Do not overmix.

Remove dough blade and fold in 1 cup of blueberries.

(I used fresh, but I think any dried fruit would work, too.)

Divide in muffin cups and sprinkle with a tiny bit of sugar.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes (or until toothpick test is clean).

Waste Not, Want Not

I was given a box full of sweet potatoes that were picked last fall.  Amusingly enough they came through two people who didn't want to deal with them and made their way to me.  It took me all day, but I have them all processed and added to our food storage.

This box held a lot more than I was expecting.

I ended up with a dehydrator full.

4 saved for a side dish of baked sweet potatoes.

14 quarts of canned sweet potatoes 

6 pints of canned sweet potatoes

10 cups of puree -- enough for 4 deep dish pies

Easiest Roast Ever

My daughter rarely raves about any food that isn't sweet, but she loves this roast.  Kind of amusing to me, because she is even willing to pick the pieces of onion off....(any of you, who read here, know she has texture issues with onions).

 I'm trying to continue the "fall in love with your cookbooks again" project.  I hadn't made this particular dish since last summer.  I'm not sure why.  However, finding a piece of beef on mark down was the perfect excuse.  This recipe is super easy and uses very few ingredients.  Also, I like that it uses ingredients I pretty much always have on hand.

 The only substitution I make is to use Braggs Liquid Aminoes, because I cannot use soy sauce.  That runs my cost up a little bit, but I offset it by buying in bulk.  I keep the huge bottle hidden in my pantry away from the light, and it lasts me quite some time.

 This recipe is from the Fix It and Forget It Big Cookbook.  (I bought my copy used -- hence the name written down the side..lol. I love reading it for inspiration, even if I don't follow the recipes exactly.)

I use whole wheat flour to coat my roast with.  

This evening, when I serve it, I will thicken the sauce a touch if it needs it. 

Most of the time it doesn't require much, if any.

My daughter has requested rice and veggies with it.

We haven't decided on the veggie, but it will be whatever we have on hand.

March Stockup

We are pretty well stocked for the month of March.  I had a few holes in my pantry that I filled and I picked up some meats on discount.  I also know that to some of you this will look like a ton of junk food.  In a way, it is.  However, it was all bought with specific things in mind.  We will be on the road each weekend this month, including an out of state trip.  The costs of eating on the road are high and we like to have things to munch on.  While I will pack some homemade items for the "going portion" of the trips, we will rely on sealed packages for the "coming back portions" of the trips.  There are also sodas for my daughter for school and some snack items (such as Goldfish) that go in her lunches.  These aren't the cheapest items, but they are far less expensive than her eating out.  She also has to leave her food in the car because of her lab rules so we have to have items that can withstand heat.

You'll notice that there are not many veggies other than canned tomatoes and not any fruit.  I have a ton of frozen, canned and home canned that we are working on....for both fruits and veggies.  I've been told that the produce stand that I pass on weekends is opening soon and I will check to see what they have.

Beef is the only meat I am low on.  I found decent mark downs.  I haven't decided if I will can the meat or freeze it.  I'm leaning toward canning it.  (The lone package of turkey will be frozen.)

We bought meats, sodas, flour, 3 packages of turkey bacon, Oreos, fruit snacks, Goldfish, 4 bags of candy, 8 yogurts, 1 package of refrigerator dough, 1 package of refrigerator cookie dough, 8 cans of tomatoes, 2 bottles of pancake syrup, 1 jar of pasta sauce, 10 sleeves of Ritz crackers, chocolate coffee (our treat), a toothbrush, 2 bottles of body wash, 1 can of pledge, a can opener, a plunger, 7 brownie mixes, 4 cake mixes, 4 lbs, of cheese, bacon bits, 2 cartons of lactose free milk, and 4 (18 count) cartons of eggs.

I also bought these boxes of cereal.  Believe it or not, they are for a party.

We were having a hard time getting together as a family for my brother's birthday. 

Due to crazy schedules, the only time we can all meet is Sunday morning.

However, he lives an hour away and has to be to work by noon.

We're doing a breakfast party.

Every person is bringing cereal and each family is bringing milk.

No having to arrive early, no major clean up, and the children will all be happy.

The children are the reason for two of these cereals...lol.

(We'll have coffee and juice, too.)

So what did I spend?

I spent $211.95 including tax.

I saved $32.07 on mark downs and coupons.

Then I did an additional $14 in coupons on Ibotta.

If anyone is interested, I can share a group number. 

(If I understand correctly, the larger the group the better the savings benefits.)

$15.00 of that comes out of my gift budget for the party.

So I am at $197 for the month.

I'm expecting to have to buy milk, a few fresh items, and possibly more sodas depending on my husband's needs.

However, I think all in all I did pretty well.

Cookbook Challenge

One of the things that I always have niggling in the back of my mind the question of how to best use my food storage.  Since Kimmy, of She's in Her Apron, issued a "fall in love with your cookbooks" challenge, I thought I would dig out a food storage cookbook.

This cookbook is a little different than my usual cookbooks.  The basic premise of this book is that the meals use "nothing fresh or frozen, and no water."  (Page 1 of 100 Day Pantry)  However, in the spirit of true food storage and frugality I am going to alter the recipe for Chicken Taco Soup.

(You'll notice I had already written a note to use black beans instead of ranch beans.)

So what am I using?

1 jar of my homecanned chicken

1 cup of dehydrated corn (because I have a #10 can open)

A jar of salsa

2 cups of homemade chicken broth

1 jar of home canned cranberry beans

1 chipotle pepper

Garlic, because it makes everything taste better

1 or 2 teaspoons of cumin

1 cup of whole wheat pasta

1/2 cup of water, because I added dried corn

I'm dumping it all in the Intant Pot and cooking it for 9 minutes.

Serving with shredded cheese and crackers for a quick "girls' day lunch."

 

Beans, Beans, Beans!

Back in October, I purchased several flats of beans from Aldi.  (I still have plenty of pumpkin, but I've made a mental note to start rotating more pumpkin dishes into our menu plan.)  It looked like a lot at the time, but we have used up all of those and all of my home canned beans since then.  Of course, I have dried beans on hand.  They just aren't always as convenient. I soaked 2 pounds of cranberry beans and canned 5 pints of them.  I also canned 2 pints of Mayocoba beans.   

Weekend Snacking

Sometimes we just need chocolate.

I pulled a 98 cents cake mix from the pantry and popped this in the oven.

I used the last of the frosting I made for the last cake I baked.

(I used shortening and kept this refrigerated.)

We pulled through the sprinkles and decided to go with pastel Easter egg sprinkles.