Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies and Christmas Magic

Just a few days ago I was complaining to a friend that Christmas, usually my favorite time of year, just didn't feel magical to me this year. I'd been trying to get into the Christmas Spirit but still hadn't managed to come up with my normal Christmas cheer. No goodies had been baked for the neighbors, no carols had been sung, no presents were under the tree. Trials are hard... They are harder at Christmas.

There is something about the season that just seems to accentuate the losses that we've experienced, whether it be the loss of family, of work, of faith, or even the loss of it all. Every Christmas carol reminds you of days gone by. Every brightly lit home of the cheer that should be within. Even the smells of cookies and eggnog bring back treasured memories that seem so far away. Sometimes, whether or not we are struggling financially, we feel so poor in Spirit... It is from these shallow depths that some of the most important lessons in life are experienced.

Last night we had a surprise knock at the door. Somebody delivered Christmas magic to our front step. My first response was almost a panicky plea for them to take it all away to somebody who needed it more than us. I know there are so many! But in came boxes with gifts and food... But we're fine, I said, and haven't been struggling to buy groceries for goodness sakes! But then a closer look showed me that these weren't just groceries- They were the ingredients to holiday baking. They were the perfect gifts for my children. They were thoughtful items meant for each member of my family. They were a way of saying,

"I know you. I love you.You are my friend and I care." 

I immediately felt the Holiday magic that had been missing surge through me with a challenge to rise above my trials and do more to help those around me. So thank you, whoever you are. You humbled me, brought tears to my eyes and magic into my heart. Merry Christmas!

With our goodies was several containers of oats and cinnamon which was so perfect since I'd had this recipe saved as a draft for a couple weeks. This gave me the perfect opportunity to bake today!

I have been playing with this recipe for the past twelve months. Last year my aunt mentioned that her husband (one of my favorite uncles) LOVES oatmeal chocolate chip cookies but they always have a hard time finding any that are really delicious and live up to his high expectations. I made it a personal quest to create the perfect oatmeal chocolate chip cookie for him for this Christmas. (Yes I realize I sound like a complete nut working on a recipe for an entire year just to give somebody a cookie... )

Anyway, the thing that I always struggled with when making oatmeal cookies was that they always ended up being flat and unappealing. I'd try to add more flour and then they'd taste more like flour than oats... Finally I think I've figured it out and the recipe is as follows:

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups white flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups quick cooking or rolled oats
1 1/2 - 2 cups chocolate chips

 Set oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Depending on your oven and cookie size each batch should take about 10-15 minutes. I usually make my cookies on the smaller side so mine take about 10 minutes.

Cream butter and sugar. For the best results, beat until mixture is lightened in color. I mixed mine for close to 5 minutes to get the texture I was desiring. (This is where it'd be nice to have a Kitchen-Aid mixer.) I've learned that this is an important step when making oatmeal cookies or they tend to come out quite flat.

Add eggs, vanilla and salt and mix well.

Combine flour, soda, oats and cinnamon in a separate bowl and then gently combine into your wet mixture. Don't over-mix or, again, the cookies will end up flat and runny.

Fold in chocolate chips.

Drop by heaping tablespoonful onto cookie sheets lined with parchment paper. (You can skip the parchment if you absolutely don't have it... but I highly recommend it!)

Bake with the oven light on so you can monitor your first batch. I usually take the cookies out before they look completely done. They should be dry and slightly browned around the edges, but the middle may still look a tad underdone. Trust me on this! The cookies will continue to cook after they've been pulled from the oven and they will set into soft, chewy cookies instead of little rocks.

The Spirit of ThanksGIVING

Several months ago, I wrote the following after attending the funeral of one of my good friends. She died after a not-long-enough-but-way-too-long battle with cancer. During this time my entire neighborhood and even my own family members had been riddled with hardships. I had 4 different friends who were battling cancer at the same time (One passed away just a few weeks afterwards), my sister was recovering after an induced coma after too many near-death battles with her own auto-immune disease, 2 of my friends were going through bitter and heartbreaking divorces, I had countless friends who were unemployed or had to take jobs in other states to be able to provide for their families. But through all of this, it was as if my own family was blessed with little or no problems of our own.
Here is what I wrote:

(April 12, 2011)

"I have a picture forever imprinted in my mind of an empty chapel. The lights dimmed and a slight scent of flowers in the air. Dozens of used tissues littered the floor and benches, a physical reminder of the tears that were shed there that day. I know that life is eternal and we will see our loved ones again- but sometimes that's just not enough to stay the tears. Today I miss my friend... 



In the April 2010 LDS General Conference, Elder Donald L. Hallstrom said:

"In the most difficult circumstances of life, there is only one source of peace. The Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, extends his grace with the invitation, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' (Matthew 11:28) He further promises, 'My peace I give unto you: Not as the world giveth, give I unto you. ' (John 14:27)

Unfortunately this is hard to realize until those most difficult circumstances arise. And then we have a choice: To realize it.. or to ignore it.  Every day in my neighborhood I see people making the best of very difficult situations (Unemployment, death of loved ones, divorce, chronic illnesses and more). It is heartbreaking- but then I see neighbors, friends and family pouring out love and support.. and I'm reminded that we ARE God's hands  and sometimes it is through us that He is able to give that peace.

Perhaps for this reason God blesses some while heaping trials upon others- so we can all have a turn helping our neighbors and sharing our blessings. I am truly grateful for my own trials that I've been through. It helps me to put my life into perspective. It has helped me to truly empathize with my friends that are currently going through trials of their own. But more, it has helped me to feel true gratitude for the "minor" trials I face each day.

"Because I have been given much I too must give... "

I know I'm not immune to hardships at this point in my life. Just because my life was hard once, doesn't mean that it won't be again. But in the meantime I am blessed. And I will continue to do all that I can to ease the burdens of my friends and family. Life is a gift and a blessing... and I hope that at the end of my days I can be proud of the way that I've used this precious gift.

Yes, I miss my friend. And my heart aches  for those she's left behind. But I know that she's dancing with the angels and she's got a smile on her face. She is free of pain and suffering and she can be proud of the way she lived her life. Her memory is precious and perfect. She will forever be beautiful and sweet and kind."

Just three months after I wrote this, my own world started to crumble around me. I began to despair and went through a lot of searching, pondering, and praying just trying to keep my head above water. I had a lot to learn about faith apparently because I was suddenly in the middle of the most intense lesson I'd ever experienced. I went days without being able to see straight due to my constantly "watery" eyes and I was so completely stressed that I couldn't eat or sleep.

I remember one evening a couple of months ago... I had been babysitting for a friend all that day and then afterwords made three dinners. One for my family, one for a friend who had just had a baby, and one for a friend who was trying to avoid bed-rest with her own pregnancy.

While I was out delivering the dinners with my children my husband returned home from work. He met me at the door and I all but collapsed into his arms near-tears trying to relate all of the stress of the day. He shook his head at me, and said, "This is ridiculous! Somebody should be watching our kids and bringing us dinner. You can't keep doing this!"

I took a deep breath and calmed down a bit... then I realized that the one time during the last week that I'd felt even remotely okay was when I was out delivering those meals to my friends. I had become so wrapped up in our own hardships that this was the first time in weeks that I'd even ventured to cook for somebody else... and yes that includes my own family! I can't imagine what my poor husband was going through. This was as much his trial as mine and yet he had to go to work and function everyday and come home to pick up all my pieces.
My trial is not yet over but I've learned at least two things so far:

1. God is ever mindful of our needs but sometimes it takes action on our part as well for us to get the help that we need. While I've long had an almost self-righteous attitude of being able to take care of myself, I really needed to learn to humble myself and ask for help. That doesn't make me less of a person but instead gives me new insight and empathy to be aware of the needs around me. This allows me to even better be able to serve my neighbors with a thankful heart.  I'm embarrassed to say that it took several months of pain before it finally dawned on me that I'd never asked for help... Once I asked for the help that I needed, I had several people sincerely (even those I'd not expected) offer to help in any way that they could. It was humbling. I will forever be gracious for those who are acting as God's Hands on my behalf.

2. I am truly happiest when I am in turn serving others. And in my case I mean literally serving others. I love to cook for people! At the moment it is beyond my capacity to do some of the other things that I truly wish I could do to help others. Instead of beating myself up over the things I wish I could do, but can't, I need to focus on the things that can be done. There are plenty of ways within my current ability to brighten the lives of those around me. I am hoping that by continuing this blog I will in a very small way be able to
 help enrich the lives of others.

Yes, I share this with you all as an explanation of where I've been these last few months. But I also, and more importantly, wanted a venue to share with you my thankful heart. Thank you for humoring me! My life is truly blessed and no matter what trials I may face in this life, though it may be difficult, I know that with the Savior's love I can endure them all.

God bless you and have a happy ThanksGIVING!

Loaded Baked Potatoes

It's been almost one year since I started blogging. I've learned a lot over the past year and it's been fun- but looking through all my old posts I've realized I've also come a ways from what I started this for. It wasn't meant to be merely another recipe blog, but a way to share my thoughts and tips on cooking with a tight budget. I have to admit I haven't even been paying that much attention to my budget let alone blogging about it! Funny how necessity brings on those great habits, right? And you can so easily forget your frugal ways when it's not quite so important anymore...
But the thing is.. it's always important. Life can turn on a dime and you never know what may be in store for you and your family. Sure I feel like I'm prepared- my food storage is in order and more importantly I know how to use it. We have savings and we have survival skills if it came down to it but there's always something more that we can do. Food storage and frugal spending are not things you can ever really check off your list as being done. It's something that you need to constantly work at and improve upon and when I stop practicing for a few months I really start to feel it. It's always a little painful to get back into the routine.
Some of the things I've noticed that slip when I get away from my frugal habits are things you'd expect like less money into savings and food that's not as healthy but the other thing-more alarming- that suffers is quality family time together.
Like a lot of families, we tend to all have different things going on all day long. Meetings and sports, music lessons, school and work. When we all get together and forget about everything else on our "plate" is at mealtimes- specifically dinner. So of course, if dinner is leftovers (again) or some random pre-packaged thing from the freezer then we just don't spend as much time together. Dinner is what brings us all together!
So this last week I've been working very hard at bringing back all my old habits. My goal is to save enough from our grocery budget these next few months to help pay for Disneyland tickets at the end of the Summer. This means more home-cooked meals, healthier snacks, and better meal planning.
To kick things off this week, I've already made a menu and added 3 meals to my freezer (which had been empty of pre-made home-made meals for some time). [I've added lasagna, complete with home-made noodles, macaroni and cheese, and home-made pizza.] So far, so good... but it's only Wednesday!
One thing that I constantly struggle with is LEFTOVERS. We hate leftovers around here- it's a fact. Unless I can use them creatively and turn them into a new meal then they just take up room in my refrigerator until I finally throw them away. Which is sad... I hate to waste food! But I'm just as bad, or worse, as the rest of the family about eating them... I've found that if I plan a menu ahead of time it's a lot easier to think of ways to use our leftovers.

Last night I was finally successful with using some of the leftovers lurking in the fridge instead of throwing them out. We had loaded baked potatoes. I washed and baked several potatoes. We used leftover broccoli, leftover chili, leftover cheese sauce (from home-made macaroni and cheese), and even a few pieces of leftover bacon from breakfast. Add to that some sour cream, salt and pepper and more cheese and even my boys left the table satisfied!

Where have I been?!

I think this has been the longest time between posts since I've started this blog! Don't worry, though, I haven't been slacking. I've been CANNING. Seriously... For an entire week... Feels good to sit down for a minute! Here's what I've been up to:

I've also been bottling:


Peaches
Pears
Tomatoes
Tomatillo Salsa
More Peaches
Jalapeno Jelly
Chicken
Apple Pie Filling
More Pears

I just counted everything up and I've done about 130 jars (and by jars I mean quarts- with the exception of the jelly and the chicken) this last week. I wish I could say I were done... but my garden is still going so I'm sure there will be at the very least a few more batches of tomatoes and maybe some zucchini relish.

The awesome thing? The only thing that I had to purchase for all this bottling were some lids for the jars, chicken (which I got at about $1/lb), and pectin. Everything else came from my garden and my friends. Thanks!

My Brand New Room

This is a little bit overdue- I finally "finished" my bedroom last week! Mr. Sheryl was not super excited as he really truly does love plain ol' white and boring but we made a deal that if he still doesn't like our room in eight years, he can change it back. It's only fair, right? You remember my before picture?

My brother-in-law saw this picture and says: "Sure, you make the 'before' picture as awful as possible." But seriously... This picture had no prepping. I simply took a picture of my bedroom...

Ok, so it's not a luxury suite by any means but I'm happy with how it turned out. And to think I was able to get all of this done without an impact to our monthly budget. I siphoned money from our grocery envelope and fed us with cheaper meals and food storage for a month and viola! Well, that and spent HOURS putting it all together but that's not the point...

Here's a rundown of what I added and spent:

King-sized rag quilt: $6 for thread and some random fabric remnants,

a couple of old sheets that didn't fit my bed anyway,

an old blanket for "batting",

generous donation of fabric scrap remnants from my friend,

half a set of drapes that were too heavy for my window,

and countless hours cutting, sewing, seam-ripping, swearing, sewing, etc...

King-sized matching bedskirt: an old bottom sheet that didn't fit my super thick mattress,

half a set of drapes that were too heavy for my window,

about 45 minutes cutting, sewing

2 matching nightstands: 2 used nightstands $25/each,

partial quart black paint that my brother-in-law let me use for free

Decorative Throw Pillows (only 1 pictured): About 20 minutes total, the rest of the drapes, 2 old flattened king-sized pillows

King-sized Shams: About 2 hours, more fabric remnants from the quilt

Rocking Chair: moved from a different part of the house where it wasn't being used

Headboard: $30 for used headboard, $.66 for nuts to attach to our frame

Paint: $30 Wal-mart paint. I know it's not the best quality,

 but I'm really banking on kids not going into my oasis anymore... so far so good!

Lamp: $1 from Walmart with a K-mart a coupon, score!

Total spent: $117.66

And the best part is that my family didn't even notice that I was spending less on groceries last month so no complaints! I still have a few finishing touches to put together.. like art on the walls and some picture frames, etc, but for now I can relax just a little bit.

Well, that is if I didn't have kids. I thought just for kicks I'd add a picture of what happens to the rest of the house while you are painting... fun stuff. This was my 2-year-old's (well almost 2) attempt at getting herself a "snack". Pretty ambitious. Note to self: Put away the cereal after breakfast and move the milk to a higher shelf in the refrigerator!

My Very Own Bountiful Basket

All Summer long I've been waiting for the week when I didn't have to actually buy produce and could just go pick it from my garden. For at least the last month I've kept saying, "Maybe next week.." And now the next week is finally here! My garden is finally starting to feed us. What a weird season we've had this year! I have to say, though, it was totally strange not to go online last night and order my basket from http://www.bountifulbaskets.org/.
So today in my "basket" I got

8 lb tomatoes
1 cantaloupe
1 lb tomatillos
1 lb anaheim peppers
6 large bell peppers
2 dozen jalapenos
1 dozen onions
1 lb carrots
3 lb potatoes
2 lb green beans
handful of rasberries
handful of strawberries
3 bulbs garlic
1/2 lb yellow pear tomatoes
3 zucchini
1 monster zucchini (whoops!)
3 white scallop squash
2 yellow scallop squash
2 pumpkins
1 lb chard

And don't worry, there's PLENTY more where that came from! So this week I will be making: Stuffed Zucchini, Fajitas, Zucchini Lasagna, tomatillo salsa, tomato salsa (for canning), Cuevish, Minestrone soup... and we'll see from there!

Soy beans.. not ready yet but I'm anxious to try them!

Whoops! Sometimes these guys are so perfectly camoflauged they get missed when I'm doing my daily garden pick. Oh well, this will still be great as a stuffed zucchini..

Later this week I also want to start adding some more budgeting tips. I have lots of really great charts and tables that are really helpful for planning your menu and your budget. I just need to figure out a pdf document and I'll be all set!

Bedroom Progress

OK, so the cat is out of the bag. I'm worthless when it comes to keeping secrets.. which I guess is a good thing as far as marriage goes, right? The first thing that Mike told me when I disclosed my refurbishing plans with him? "No your not." hahaha! See, the thing you have to understand about my honey is that he despises do-it-yourself-Home-Depot style furniture and decor. And while I always strive to do my best, sometimes I fall a bit short of professional. Just sometimes though. ;) He likes a clean, professional look. Wood should be stained, not painted. Walls should only be painted by a licensed professional. Etc, etc. Lucky for me though, Mike's a good guy and is allowing me to indulge in my divine design dreams. He even offered to buy us some brand new furniture (I think in an attempt to avoid the second-hand-Other-Man's-Trash look). But I wanted to try my hand at this design stuff so I'm plowing ahead without new things. I figure if it turns out awful, I can always sell it to somebody else, right?

I have an old set of drapes that have been floating around my house for a couple of years so I played with the idea of an apholstered headboard. I even taped it to the wall to see how it would look. It's this picture that made me decide our bedspread has got to go. It's a little too grandma for my taste. So I went fabric shopping for a new quilt..

Quilts are awesome because it allows you to use up some scraps. I didn't have quite enough laying around so, yes, I bought more scraps. But this is seriously the cheapest way to buy fabric. A friend of mine also gave me some of her extra fabric that matched my color scheme (thank you!) and I even cut up an old sheet to make up the difference. Ever stop to think about how much fabric goes into a king-sized quilt? A: Lots!

I was lucky enough to find the perfect headboard for a mere $30 in our local classifieds. Yay! Turns out all I'll need to make it work for our room is some touchup markers (for the wood) and a couple of screws. Cheaper than my fabric headboard idea even with free fabric and free plywood.

And I even found some nightstands, also in good condition, for $25 a piece. I haven't decided yet if I will paint them. I know Mike hates that idea, but I've always wanted to try it...

Anyway, so far I have spent $86 on bedroom improvements and the only thing left to buy is paint. I think... But now to get to work and make it all function in our space. Wish me luck!

Oh, and by the way... since this is a food blog... Payday was actually last Friday, but I've been holding out going to the grocery store until I had to. My man's gotta have his orange juice, afterall. This month's grocery list is SO short! Here's what's on the list this month:

orange juice

ziplock freezer bags

short-grain rice

Cheerios

Bountiful Basket x2

salt for the water softener

The rest of our "groceries" will come from our freezers and food storage this month. In fact, I can probably live off of my pantry and kitchen freezer alone this month so it will be good to use some things up. I have several prepared meals, leftovers, mixes, side dishes and more all waiting to be used. I figure this will be good practice for me. We can always use practice when it comes to using our food storage, right?

Another Payday...

Ok, so this post may not have much to do with food, but it goes along with this month's plan. Today is payday again and of course, I'm changing how we do our food budget... again. Here's why:

Believe it or not, this is my bedroom. Looks cozy, right? I happen to be married to a man who is in love with white and simplicity. Why paint when we'd just have to paint again in 8-9 years? Why buy new furniture when we have a a perfectly functional 1970's dilapidated ugly old dresser.. and who needs a headboard anyway? It does nothing for the functionality of the bed. Grrr! I don't hate anything or anybody in this life. I really don't.. but I'd have to say I'm pretty darn close to absolutely hating my room. It took me almost 6 years to finally get paint in our kitchen and livingroom. The rest of the house is still stark white... Most people would assume we're renting the place! So this month I'm determined to change things. I want our bedroom to be a retreat. A place where I can unwind without kids or toys. I want a grown-up room because, well, I'm a grown-up! ... right?

Now here's the dilemma. We already have a few projects on our plate and most of our extra money is spoken for. My poor husband is probably feeling overwhelmed with all the things I want him to get done around here. I want a fence. I want our basement finished. I want to plant more trees. I want to expand our garden. Yes, I know how this sounds. I want, I want, I want... Is it right to add one more thing to the list? Probably not. So here's the plan: I'll do it myself. And as for the money? Well, I'm going to practice living almost completely off of our food storage for a month. I'll use most of our grocery budget this month to try to improve our space. I don't know how far it will go. I have a few thrifty projects in mind to help things along so I can get as much done with as little money as possible.

As for this blog- I don't know how often I will have a chance to keep it updated. I will still try to add posts as often as possible, but I'm sure I'll be pretty busy with my little project this month. When I do update my blog, most likely you'll see plenty of food-storage type recipes. I will be using my garden this month and I plan to buy some fresh produce to go along with the food storage too.

So.. here we go! I'll post pictures along the way of my progess in the bedroom too. Good luck to me.

P.S. I haven't told Mike about this yet... I'm thinking I'll just let it be a surprise. That way he can't say no, right? hehe. So everybody Shhhh! Also any thrifty decorating tips would be more than welcome. Thank you, that is all.

The Science of Bread

My family used to tease me mercilessly when I was younger because I was so horrible in the kitchen. I burned microwave popcorn. I turned boxed Mac N Cheese into mush. I couldn't even butter bread without tearing it to pieces. My parents were sure my only chance for survival was to marry a good cook... which I didn't. Luckily over the years I have become a much better cook. There are two reasons for this. One- I have practiced and practiced... then practiced some more. And two: Understanding. I have made it a goal to not only try things to see if they work, but to also learn why when things don't work the way I had hoped.
One of the latest skills I've been developing is bread making. Over the years I've made plenty of bricks, but a good soft, moist loaf of fresh bread has only been in my skill set for about 12 months. Since that time I've come up with several original recipes based on the information that I've finally learned. Here are a few things I've learned:

Humidity- I live in a high, dry climate so flour tends to be drier and absorbs more liquid. A little less flour, or slightly more liquid, may be needed to maintain the proper dough consistency. So a basic rule to follow? There isn't one! Changes in humidity will affect the flour's dryness and the amount needed in the same recipe on different days. (This is true of cakes & cookies as well.) A good method to follow is to add 1/3 of the flour at a time until you have a soft dough that pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Altitude- affects the rising time of doughs. Here in the higher elevations your bread will double faster than at lower altitudes. The higher the altitude, the shorter the time required for dough to rise. Is this a good thing? It can be if you know how to make it work for you, but it can also cause problems.
A certain rising time is necessary for good flavor and a light-texture bread. Using less yeast, or letting the dough rise twice before shaping into loaves or rolls usually allows enough rising time for good flavor. Although letting bread rise too long may cause over-fermentation and result in a course, open-textured bread with a yeast-like flavor.

Temperature- At altitudes over 3,500 feet, it is sugested to increase baking temperature by 25 F. Most recipes require baking temperatures between 375 and 400 F, so here the best temperature is between 400 and 425 F. This higher temperature sets the cell walls quickly  and stop further rising, preventing the dough from becoming too light.

Kneading- Seriously, you NEED to knead. Kneading is so important in making good bread for several reasons. First of all kneading helps the gluten to form and gain strength allowing the loaf to take on a cohesive texture that will allow the substance to not fall apart during baking. (Think of gluten as the glue that holds the bread together.) Secondly, as the gluten is forming it is also helping to create small air pockets of bubbles in the dough. This is very important, as these bubbles are necessary to allow for the formation of small pockets of carbon dioxide as the dough is rising. The carbon dioxide is created by the interaction of the yeast with the other ingredients in the recipe. By filling the small air pockets in the structure of the dough, the bread has a chance to rise and become supple enough to result in a loaf of bread that is light, flavorful, and airy. Most recipes call for kneading to be done for 8-10 minutes. Don't skip it! Or your loaves will suffer...  Also, all you Bosch and Kitchen Aid people out there- you are seriously missing out on some really fine exercise. Bakers have a chance to work their upper body muscles, and gain some mental satisfaction from the process as well. While that has nothing to do with the quality of the bread, it really can improve the temperment of the baker!


Yeast - There are several different types of yeast...
Cake (moist) - the traditional live yeast; needs to be dissolved in water

Active dry - the traditional dry yeast; needs to be dissolved in water, usually with a bit of sugar
Instant - possibly more concentrated than active dry; does not need to be dissolved
Bread Machine - exactly the same as instant in a different package
Rapid Rise - may contain yeast enhancers and other packaging changes to the granules. Does not have to be dissolved.
An important thing to remember when dealing with yeast is that it is ALIVE. Active dry yeast is yeast that has been so severely dried that all the live yeast have formed a hard, dry outer layer of dead yeast cells. The reason you have to soak this yeast in warm water is to sluff off those dead cells and rehydrate the yeast and wake them from their dormant state. Instant yeast is dried in a gentle method that leaves more of the yeast spores alive than with other drying methods. While it is the same yeast, as a species, it will rise faster because you are starting with more live spores.

If you are using Instant Yeast in lieu of Active Dry- just use 25% less. So if a recipe calls for 2 tsp Active Dry yeast, you'd use 1.5 tsp Instant, Rapid Rise, or Bread Machine yeast. (Round up if necessary.)
 
*A note about my One Hour Bread.. The reason you are cooking this bread at only 350 F is because this lower temperature helps the bread continue to rise while baking at the same time.
 
Ok, enough spewing information for one day. Back to some recipes!

Where does all the money go?

Surprisingly, it hasn’t cost me a whole lot to eat healthy. As it turns out, I had almost everything that I needed to eat right in my food storage already. And while I haven’t been the picture of perfect healthy cooking, so far this month I have managed to cut added fat and incorporate whole grains and vegetables into almost every meal. I admit, I have been using food storage this month to supplement our grocery budget, but I’ve also been able to stock up on a few things we’ll use down the road as well, so hopefully it will all even out.
Some of the things that I’ve been using or will use from food storage this month are: whole grains, pasta, cereal, chips, apple juice, hamburger, ground turkey, chicken, oil and spices. Some things that I’ve added to our storage include: tuna fish, canned beans, toilet paper, chips, ketchup, hot dogs, flour, and olive oil. I’ve also packaged and frozen several quarts of various fruits and vegetables from the surplus in our Bountiful Baskets.

This is a breakdown of where our money has gone so far this month in regard to groceries:

Bountiful Baskets x3 = $50
Bountiful Basket add-ons (including Italian pack and ½ case of peaches) = $20
Other Produce (including onions, celery, peppers, potatoes, corn, watermelon) = $25
Dairy (eggs, milk, butter, sour cream, cottage cheese, plain yogurt) = $36.50
Meat (Rib-eye Steaks, Deli-meat) = $19.50
Grains (25lb bag of bread flour) = $6
Other (Olive Oil, Orange Juice) = $20
Non-Consumables (diapers, toilet paper, deodorant) = $36
Sales = $23
(Tuna Fish $.28/can x 16 = $4.50; Pork & Beans $.28 x 10 = $2.80; Chips $.98/bag x10 = $9.80; Ketchup $.78/bottle x2 = $1.56; HotDogs $.28/package x8 = $2.24)

That leaves me with a whopping $14! But we've got a refrigerator full of food including 3 gallons of milk and 1 1/2 dozen eggs. I shouldn't have to go to the store again unless I want to.
And just a note about the "Non-cunsumables." This month I've only had to buy toilet paper, diapers and deordorant. I found the toilet paper on an amazing sale and used some coupons so I was able to buy enough for the next three months for only $10. This is for the good stuff.. not the fall apart, eew gross variety.
I try to space out my non-food items so that I only have to buy 1-2 things each month. This way I can stay within my budget. Diapers are my flex item. If I have a lot of other things to buy, I will use cloth diapers and wipes that month to stretch my grocery dollar. These are not my favorite months... but in the end it's worth it... to me anyway! I'm also extremely lucky that we don't use as many diapers anymore now that my almost-two-year-old is learning to go potty. This makes it a lot easier to sneak disposable diapers into my cart without a huge impact on my wallet.

How to Save Money on Groceries

Really when I started this blog I had great dreams of detailing menus and money saving tips as well as sharing receipts and food storage ideas... I had no idea how much time all of that would take, though- so this little project of mine has turned more into just another recipe blog.. oops, sorry! But for the most part, at least, these recipes are all fairly inexpensive and I hope I've been helping at least a little bit. For this post, I decided that I'll get back to basics a little bit and share some money saving tips like I originally intended. Then if I have time, I will add a couple more posts with the recipes I've made the past couple of days: Vegetarian Lasagna, Chicken and Broccoli Bake, The "good" Brownies.

Change your perspective and increase your knowledge. To be effective in your new spending plan, you must change your perspective and to do that you may need to learn a few things. Some will essentially be starting from scratch as far as grocery budgeting- others may just need a few pointers to continue down the right path. Either way, knowledge is the foundation of change. We need to open our minds to new information and ideas. What could you do with an extra $20 a week? How about $50.. Or even $100? No matter what your food budget, there are always ways to save. Here are some basic steps to save money on your groceries:


1. Find your motivation. Why do you want to save money? Chances are, in today’s economy you-like so many other families- are just trying to make ends meet. The grocery budget is one of the few expenses that is not “fixed” in a family budget- therefore it is a target to save some money. Even if you have the good fortune of not having to worry about the cost of your food, there is always something that we’d like to do with our money “if only we had a little more.” Find your purpose and focus on it!

2. Save your receipts. This allows you to track your expenses month to month so you can make adjustments where necessary. A lot of people I have talked to have had a vague idea of how much they spent on groceries, but usually forgot to count those extra little trips to the store for milk or a bag of chips when they say “I spent X amount of dollars on food.” Also, It allows you to identify and cut out the junk. If you realize how much money you have been spending on things like chips, cookies and any non-essential it makes it less of a temptation in the future. This also helps you to keep track of changing food prices and plan
accordingly.

3. Be aware of the cost of food. Keep a notebook of average prices for the items that you buy most often. I have made a list of all the things I buy each month. After each shopping trip, I come home, open my notebook, and record the price of each item that I bought. Again, saving your receipts will help you with this. I know when food prices are on the rise and I can also tell when it’s time to stock up on a deal. This way when something goes on sale, you know if it’s a good deal or not. Most stores will advertise a “sale” on an item just to move it though the store, even if the “sale” price is pennies less, or even the same, as the regular price.

4. Figure out the cost of your favorite recipes. Keeping track of food costs will help you figure out how much it costs to make things yourself. The $12 frozen lasagna is a lot less tempting when you know you can make it yourself for less than $5. But don’t throw out your expensive recipes. Most can be modified to use cheaper ingredients and save you a ton of money without changing the taste of the meal significantly, if at all. As I find meals that are cheap, I stick them into my folder so that I always have some inexpensive meal ideas at my fingertips.

5. Get your family on board by allowing them to contribute ideas. Make goals together . Reward yourself as well as your family. Let’s face it, change is never easy. We all have our habits that we hold on to-for good or bad. Remember that this will be a tough process, but it should also be rewarding. Be creative and look for ways you can give yourself and your family a metaphorical pat on the back. Money need not be involved! Take the kids to the park. Give yourself a nice warm bath with a good book. Stay up a little longer after the kids go to bed and give your spouse your undivided attention. Bottom line--enjoy life! Life is not about money-it’s about happiness.

6. Plan a menu for an entire month (or pay period). By organizing your menu and your meals in this way, it will allow you to plan your shopping for the entire month. This will also eliminate the “what’s for dinner” syndrome. This will also give you direction when watching the ads. Every month I know what I need to buy and I know what is not on that list. I won’t spend my precious extra money on something, even if it’s a fantastic sale, that we hardly use or need. It’s not a good deal if it goes to waste.

7. Make meals ahead of time. Time is money. We’ve all heard it and it’s true. Spending a little time now will save you a heap of money in the future. This step virtually eliminates impulsive eating out and will allow for more family time in the evening when everybody is home.

8. Buy in bulk and Compare prices. Bulk prices are not always the cheapest. Again, be aware of the cost of food and take the time to compare prices to make sure you’re getting the best deal. Cook and freeze portions needed for monthly dinners when you get home from shopping (or in the next day or two). This keeps kids from eating everything and keeps your food from spoiling in the refrigerator. Wasted food is money down the drain.

9. Make it yourself! Most things made from scratch really are cheaper than store-bought convenience foods. It’s also a healthier way to feed your family. When you make things yourself, you can avoid the added salt, fat and sugar- not to mention artificial flavors and colorings and who knows what else! You have more control over what junk your family is eating, or more importantly, what they are not. I have a mix for just about everything from hot chocolate, to stew, to pancakes, to sloppy Joes. By preparing these things ahead of time I find that I save a lot of time when cooking, and money too.

10. Get Organized! None of this will work if you don’t have a plan--a way to track what’s going in and out and what’s needed to buy. When you are running low on something in your pantry then you know it’s time to start really watching the ads for that item. Shop sales and bulk to replenish what you use. Keep a folder or some other way of keeping track of what you have. By setting up your pantry in this way, it allows you to use sale prices on almost everything that you put into your meals. What a difference!

11. Change your shopping habits and practice other cost cutting tips. . Use your own judgment and do what works for you and your family. While the previous steps will help you reduce your grocery budget, you may need a little extra help. Following are a few ideas that can further help you to cut costs.
Make a list and stick to it.
Only use cash to pay for your groceries.
Bring only enough CASH for what you plan to buy. If you come across a deal that is too good to pass up, come back for it.
Don’t throw away food - ANY of it!
*Re-use bacon grease for frying eggs, flavoring muffins, greasing tins, etc.
*Use juice from canned fruit as a marinade for meat or drink it yourself.
*Cut moldy cheese (white non-fuzzy mold only) off cheese block (hard cheese). The rest is fine to eat.
*Freeze leftovers for “TV dinners”.
*Return unsatisfactory products.
*Grind leftover salad and add to vegetable soup.
*Re-use leftovers in another meal.
*Save dry bread, heels, even the crumbs from cutting bread in freezer and use in recipes calling for bread crumbs.
*Use uneaten (or clearance priced) chocolate bunnies, hearts, etc as dipping chocolate.
*Sour milk can be still be used for cooking/baking.
*Use brownie, cake, pie crumbs for ice cream topping.
*Soften hard marshmallows by placing in a re-sealable bag with a few slices of fresh bread.
*Save butter wrappers to grease pans.
*Egg whites (uncooked) can be frozen for use later on.
*Freeze things before they go bad.
Half the amount of meat called for in most recipes. Cheaper and less calories!
Don’t serve seconds on meat, juice & milk. Use bread, rice, pasta as fillers if still hungry and drink water for refills.
Don’t serve your entire roast. First set aside amount needed for planned leftovers or to use in other recipes.
Cut your meat into smaller pieces. It will go further in stews, soups, casseroles, etc.
Drink Water.
Try to cut out the non-essentials. (do a little at a time so you don’t feel deprived)
Get organized. Know what’s on hand. Don’t let food go bad in your fridge or pantry.
Educate yourself. If you don’t know how to cook, then learn! Practice makes perfect.
Shop the edges of the store. Everything you need should be in produce, dairy, meat and sales. Everything else will cost you extra.
Shop around for the best deals. Try to plan your shopping with other errands in the area.
Buy direct from the manufacturer things that you use often. (if it’s a better deal)
Try store brands.
Don’t buy an item just because it’s on sale or to use a coupon.
No matter how good the deal is on soda, chips, etc, you still didn’t need to buy them in the first place!
Shop sales and bulk and stock up. (pay attention, make sure you’re really getting a deal)
Plan all your shopping in one or two trips to the store. This helps cut down on impulse buys.
Eat only what you need.

Bountiful Basket & storing fruit and vegetables

I picked up my second Bountiful Basket on Saturday and I'm really glad that I did! I don't know if it was just me, but it seemed like there was more produce in the baskets this time which is always great. My 21-month-old dug right into the juicy strawberries that were included. The only problem that I had is that I still had produce leftover from last week (from the basket and from the store) so I had a hard time finding places for everything. I made a list of everything that I'll make this week and made sure to re-package or freeze those veggies that I won't be able to get to. We certainly can't have anything spoiling in the refrigerator!

The only fruit that I froze were the grapes. We have lots of fruit that needs to be eaten, and if I left it up to my kids they would eat nothing but grapes. So freezing the grapes will help encourage them to eat some of the other fruit before it goes bad. Also, frozen grapes are SO good on a hot summer day. So not only will they not go bad, they will serve as a tasty treat down the road. To freeze, wash thoroughly and drain as much as possible. You can freeze them on a cookie sheet then transfer to freezer bags. But I've found that as long as there's not excess water on the grapes, they freeze just fine if you put them straight into bags. Just squeeze the frozen grapes gently to break apart when serving.

In my basket this week I got onions, celery and carrots.. all of which I either bought last week, or in the case of the carrots, have been using out of the garden. So to make sure these stay fresh, I chopped and blanched the mixed veggies and added them to quart-sized bags for some easy soup or stew down the road. Even if I don't get to them until the end of Summer or beginning of Fall they will be just fine.

First, I set a pot of water to boil. I then chopped the celery and added it to the water with the exception of the celery tops and yellowish inner stalks. These don't take as long to cook, so I set those aside to add last. Next I chopped the carrots and added them. Then I cut the onions into chunks and added them as well. By the time I added the celery tops, I only needed to let the vegetables boil for about 1-2 minutes more. I'm not trying to fully cook them, just give them a good blanching. To stop the cooking process, when I removed the vegetables from the boiling water, I gave them a good dip in some ice water and then into the freezer bags.

I also had some spinach that needed to be frozen. I kept some out for the dinners that I'll make with it this week, but for the rest I wilted it and stuck it into a freezer bag for future use. I stuffed the spinach into a large colander set atop a big empty pot. Then I slowly poured the boiling vegetable broth from the carrots and celery over the spinach and allowed it to wilt for a couple minutes. It was then ready to add to the freezer bags.

For the lettuce and celery that I won't get to until later this week or next week, I wrapped them in aluminum foil to keep them crisp until I'll need them. This really works and is especially handy when the vegetable crisper is full, like mine is. I've kept celery this way up to a month without it going limp on me.

Simply center the vegetable in the foil and wrap tightly.

Other than that just be sure that you keep most vegetables in a high moisture vegetable crisper. And fruits, such as apples and oranges need as little moisture as possible to stay fresh.

A little bit of Q & A

I was so excited to get an email from a reader today that I just had to make a post about it. She asked such good questions that I figured I'd share with everybody!

Q: Where are you buying your brown rice?

A: I've found the best deal on brown rice is when Macy's does their case-lot/food storage sales. Usually in April and September. Also Costco carries brown rice in 25lb bags for a reasonable price (WAY cheaper than the small bags at the grocery store). They don't offer it at the LDS Cannery- it doesn't keep as long as the white rice so is not considered "long-term storage," however; I've kept it in my storage for at least up to a year and it has been fine so I try to keep at least one extra 25lb bag on hand as I can easily rotate that amount in one year.

Q: How many servings do your meals typically make? Do you usually make extra for your husband to take to work?

A: I used to always make extra servings when I make dinner because I'd almost always send leftovers with Mike to work. He's since changed jobs though, and no longer has an office where he can re-heat food so I've been packing him cold food instead like sandwiches, wraps and cold soups. Now I make extra servings  because my girls and I will usually eat them for lunch throughout the week instead. My meals usually serve at least 8 people.

Q: How are you liking Bountiful Baskets?

A: I've actually just started with Bountiful Baskets (just one so far and another one ordered) but so far I've liked it. It's like getting all your produce on sale. It's also fun to get items in your basket that aren't normally on my list. I've been able to buy more produce for the price of the basket at times depending on what's on sale. The easiest way to get the best deals on produce is to try to price match at Walmart all the other ads.. The disadvantage to that, though, is that you're buying produce from Walmart which isn't always very good. I've noticed that Buy-Low market in Provo/Orem area has good deals on produce frequently as does the Sunflower Farmer's Market store (if that name is right.. it's the store across the street from University mall- used to be an electronics store) But overall, Bountiful baskets is a good buy- just not always the best buy so I like to wait until the ads come out on Tuesday before I place my order (which means sometimes I miss it!). Another good way to get cheap produce is to check out some local U-pick locations. Also check KSL (or your local classifieds) because people often sell or even give away surplus from their gardens or fruit and nut trees. Last year I bottled dozens of quarts of apples that I got for $.10 per pound from somebody on KSL. I've also found peaches, walnuts, pears and more.


Q: When you started this how much did you actually have in stock in your home? For example, did you already have all of your spices? Did you have a basic supply of flour, sugar, yeast ect?

A: When I started trying to build our food storage and decrease our grocery budget we had virtually no food storage other than some basic pantry items like a couple 5 lb bags of flour, sugar, etc. I was buying yeast in packets as needed (ugh!) but I did have a pretty big supply of spices because I have always loved making my own sauces and seasoning my own food just the way I like it. The nice thing about spices is that a little bit goes a long way. They can be expensive when you are first building your supply but most spices will last for YEARS and you only have to use a little bit at a time. I usually only have to buy additional spices once every couple of months. The ones I use the most are probably basil and cumin so I try to buy those in the biggest volume that I can afford. (Mexican markets usually have the best deals on cumin in bulk- you can also try some online sources like bulkfoods.com)

Also- For the first few months when I started changing things, I cut our food budget from $800/month to $450. I spent $350 on our groceries and set aside $100 every month to build up our food storage. As I got better at budgeting, meal planning and cooking I gradually reduced that amount to what I'm at now. It didn't, by any means, happen over night. We probably would have starved! :) My normal grocery budget (including soap, cleaners, diapers, and food plus restocking our food storage) is pretty steady now at $250/month. Some months I may spend a little bit more (like this month- trying to diet and buy diapers on $250 might be pushing it a bit- but we'll see how it goes) and some months I have only had to buy eggs and milk so it's significantly less than that.

Q: Are you making one grocery trip a month or several?

A: I usually have one big shopping day per month. Usually on or near payday. This is when I buy the bulk of our food that we'll need during the month. I come home and freeze meat and vegetables in meal-sized portions so they won't go to waste waiting for me to cook everything. I add a second trip to the store about halfway through the month for more fresh produce, eggs and milk. If you buy your milk fresh, it should last about 2 1/2 weeks in the refrigerator so just buy enough to last you for that amount of time. Some stores seem to have fresher milk than others. Costco usually has at least a couple weeks on their sell-by dates as does our local Smith's market here in Saratoga Springs; however Walmart and some Associated stores often only have a few days to a week. Eggs should last through the month, but I buy them twice because I can't fit a month's worth into the fridge!

Q: How often are you eating vegetarian meals?

A: I usually make at least one vegetarian meal per week. I'm not a big meat eater, so I'd actually prefer to eat them more often, but my husband is a meat and potatoes kind of guy- He actually accuses me of trying to starve him if I don't feed him meat! Often, I add meat just for him and my son so I seldom use more than 3/4 pound of meat per meal. Some vegetarian meals that he doesn't mind: Macaroni and Cheese, Garden Vegetable Minestrone, Pastafazool (this can be made with or without meat easily) and tonight I actually made Vegetarian fajitas and he didn't even notice there was no meat! At least he didn't say anything about it and he had a second helping. The only thing he asked about was the cheese.

This is a snapshot of my spice cabinet. As you can see, a simple spice rack just doesn't cut it for me! I have just about every common spice and a few uncommon ones as well. The picture really doesn't even do it justice.

Please, if anybody else has comments or questions, feel free to email me at mikeandsheryl@q.com

Thanks!

If I didn't change the rules...

If I didn't change the rules and I were still trying to build up my food storage and keep my grocery budget low, this is what my shopping list would have looked like:

But while I am still trying to keep my bill at $250 or under, I'm actually going to use my food storage this month to make things work. I'm starting my diet today so I've changed quite a bit about my grocery list this month. I'm hoping to be able to drop the extra weight I gained last month and still have fun cooking. I really hate dieting so I'm trying to keep this as simple and fun as possible. Some areas I have the most problems with are too many sweets and too much cheese. So for the first 10 days (at least) I'm trying to completely cut those things out and we'll go from there. I've made my menu and my new shopping list. I even went shopping on Saturday to get things started. This is my rough grocery list for this month:

 

The produce will vary depending on what actually comes in the bountiful baskets that I get. I picked up my first basket on Saturday morning and was happy with what I got and am looking forward to trying it again. I'm also hoping my garden starts producing more by the end of this month which will also really help out with the produce that I plan to buy. I'll be sprouting my own seeds this month as well.

I started my prep cooking Saturday afternoon for my healthy meals this month. I started with some multi-grain flour. (Yes, I broke down and bought a new wheat grinder... ) For my flour I used 5 cups hard white wheat, 1 cup soft white wheat (the last that I had in my storage) 1 cup oat groats and 3 cups rye groats (again- the last I had so I need to buy some more). I then used that flour to make a whole-grain baking mix that I'll use for things like waffles, pita, and tortillas. I also made some multi-grain bread which turned out delicious. I will post all these recipes on a later post.