Quick coupon alert!

Hey guys, like I posted on Monday, Campbell's soups are on sale buy one, get one free at CVS this week. There's also a coupon at couponcabin.com for $1 off any two cans of soup. That means I'll be getting my soups 2/$.79. That's $.40/each vs. $1.79. I'm going to make a mushroom noodle cassarole with them!

Stay tuned for the Freezermeal Friday recipe! It's Shepard's Pie using $2.99/lb sale ground turkey from Whole Foods. Have a great Friday day :).

(15) Minute Meal Thursday: Mashed Potato Chowder

Good afternoon, my dear friends! I finally have my computer back, and am so happy for that. I'm used to typing on Mike's computer, and now, to have a working keyboard, is like, crazy. I have to retrain my little fingers. I've just gotten over a cold, and I'm so happy to feel better. Yesterday, Dylan said "mama", which is great. He's also still getting his first tooth. I went for an invisalign consultation today, and the place I went was a total scam. They get you in there with a teaser rate, and then tell you it's twice as much. So that was really disappointing, but I mean, hey, it's not the most important thing in the world - or even close to it. It just sucked that I had to go alll the way out on the C line from the North End!

I'm kind of doing a "swan" type thing with myself. Since being pregnant and having the baby, my looks have kinda gone down the drain, so bit by bit, I'm trying to fix everything. I'm trying to eat less now that I'm done nursing, also. ANYWAYS!

Who wants a 15 minute amazing recipe? I bet you do! Guess what? Even if you don't, you're still gettin' it!

This is a recipe I invented to use up leftover mashed potatoes!

Mashed Potato Chowder
serves 6
you can easily half this to serve 3...or 2 very hungry little piggies

3 T. olive oil ($.36)
6 stalks of celery chopped, about 2 c. ($.60)
6 medium carrots chopped, about 4 c. ($.75)
1 medium onion ($.07)
4 cloves chopped garlic ($.08)
1 T. salt ($.02)
1/2 t. black pepper ($.03)
2 t. dried oregano ($.12)
2 t. dried basil ($.12)
2 T. red wine vinegar ($.12)
4 c. leftover mashed potatoes (it depends on how much you paid for your potatoes, but mine cost $2.00 plus milk and stuff $2.25)
4 c. milk (organic - $1.48)
1 c. water ($0.00)

Total is $6.00. That's $1/serving! It's sooo good!

1. Chop carrots, celery, onion, and garlic.
2. Over medium low heat, heat olive oil + salt + pepper + garlic + onion + carrots +celery + basil + oregano until onions and celery are softened (about 10 minutes). Keep covered, so that the moisture doesn't evaporate...if you keep the top off, the veggies will stick to the bottom. The steam that drips down keeps them cooking!
3. When the veggies are softened, add the red wine vinegar and allow it to simmer off for a moment. Help the veggies deglaze (get all the browned bits off the pot) by stirring them!
4. Add the mashed potatoes, milk, and water. Stir to smooth.
5. Over medium heat, cook until heated through.
6. Serve! Mmm, mmm...

scrimpyTips:

- Add crisped bacon or frozen corn to the soup. So amazing!

- This would be good with some fresh dinner rolls. The ones I make are $.15 each. I know, I know, I promised the breadmaking tutorial, it's coming this weekend!!!

Holy Wow Cow - Whole Foods Wendesday Brings It On!

Hey there everyone! So, I looked at the sales today, and realized there's also a "Spring Madness" sale going on, too. I will share with you the great deals I've found from both of these, and will update you with some in store sales when I go over there this afternoon.

Guess what? Dylan said "mama"! Yessss, today is good. The best part of today is that Dylan said "mama", but a close second best part of the day is that ORGANIC APPLES ARE ON SALE FOR $.99/lb at Whole Foods. What the what? Yeah you heard!

Alright, here we go!

Organic Braeburn Apples $.99/lb from $1.99/lb
Shrimp $8.99/lb from $14.99/lb
Dark Meat Ground Turkey $2.99/lb from $4.99/lb
Marinated Feta $3.99/lb from $7.99/lb
Chicken Sausage $3.99/lb from $5.99/lb (perfect for my sausage skillet recipe!)

Bone-in split chicken breast $1.99/lb
Carton of 18 cage free eggs $1.99
Maplebrook farm fresh mozzarella $4.99/lb from $9.99/lb
Pineapple 2/$5 from $3.99 each
2 lb. Macaroni and Cheese $4.99 from $7.99

So there you have it! Some great deals from the WF. I'll be updating later if there are any killer sales in-store! Enjoy your apples. Mike, if you're reading this, get ready for apple pie, apple muffins, applesauce, apple pancakes, and apple somethin' else!

CVS Sale Sunday (Monday)

Alright, I'm sick and so tired so here's the deal:

Bounty Paper Towels $6.99 12 pk.
Campbell's soup and Swanson broth buy one, get one free, great deal!
Crest Pro Health Enamel Care $3.49 w/ $3.49 extra bucks, which means it's FREE, I'll be buying this!
Post cereal buy one, get one free!
Hellman's Mayo $2.99
Skippy Peanut Butter and Jelly buy one, get one free, this is another one I'll be hitting up.
CVS Pistachios and Almonds $4.99/lb
Hefty Cinch Sack Garbage Bags $6.99
$2 extra bucks when you buy Crest or Fixodent 2 packs of toothpaste
Tom's all natural toothpaste $2.99
Mitchum deodorant $2.99
TreSemme 3/$10 (it goes as low as $2.99)

There's a LOT of great food sales this week, so definitely stock up! I'll be buying the mayo, the peanut butter, the almonds, and the Tom's!

Have a great night, and happy sale shopping :).

Menu Planning Monday!

Hey everyone, good morning! Oh, it's the afternoon. Well, that's news to me...I'm sick again (somehow) and Dylan's napping. So, I've been going over the CVS sales (to bring you another belated CVS Sale Sunday) and thinking about what I'm making for the upcoming dinner week.

OK, I'm ALSO watching this show called Judge Alex, and I don't know if it's just me or not, but this guy's a real clown. He's funny and cool and everything, but you can just tell he really thinks he's somethin' else. I digress...

So, I've done the numbers and I'm under $200 this month for food shopping, which is freeeakkkking awesomeeee! I want to keep it that way, so I'll be doing some pantry cooking. Here's my plan for the week (Zero dollars spent this week!)

Monday - Turkey soup made with frozen bones from Thanksgiving (with organic barley)
Tuesday - Frozen scallops with garlic and oil over organic whole wheat spaghetti
Wednesday - Organic whole wheat penne with leftover tomato sauce from Sunday
Thursday - Potato soup made from leftover mashed potatoes, keep your eyes open for this recipe!
Friday - Leftover Turkey Barley Soup
Saturday - Pancake Breakfast for Dinner
Sunday - Frozen Vegetable Stir Fry - the best! I wanted to share this recipe with you, but the last time it just wasn't the best, so I wanted to perfect it before sharing...

So, there you have it! That's my no-shop menu plan. I literally have NOTHING in my fridge right now. Well, I have homemade yogurt, leftover red beans and pasta, prepared steel cut oatmeal, and some eggs. Oh, and leftover sauce! I'll eat all that during the days this week, and then I'll make the above dinners and we'll be good to go!

Menu planning is great for a whole slew of reasons. It's important to have a plan based on sales so that you take advantage of great deals, and only buy what you need. You can save a lot of money food shopping just making sure you're not buying a bunch of extras. Just plan for what you need, go shopping on a full stomach, and you should be good to go.

For example, if you're just shopping around aimlessly, and you see a sale on crackers and think, "oh these would be a good snack" and then you see some apples and are like, "ooh these would be good, too", and then you grab some pretzels, you've got a snack overload!

Before shopping, analyze the sales, and say, "oh, crackers are on sale, I'll buy those to pack in my lunch this week for snacks". I'll also get some apples. That way, you're not buying a bunch of stuff that you may or may not use before it goes bad. You've saved yourself the money on the pretzels...get them next week, maybe they'll be on sale!

Menu planning based on sales is a great way to shop. There's no reason to cook shrimp if they're not on sale! Just get the chicken that's on sale this week, and wait until the shrimp are on sale to cook with them. Or better yet, when shrimp go on sale buy two, cook with one, freeze the other, and then you can cook with sale shrimp twice (maybe for a fast pantry meal of garlic and oil shrimp over spaghetti!).

Lastly, my favorite thing to do is this: During the last week of the month, calculate your grocery cost. Then, try to cook for the last week of the month without buying anything (or only a few things). It's a fun way to keep your grocery bill low. For example, I'm at $192.00 for food this month, so what I'll most likely do, is buy a pound of organic baby greens for salads, and some organic milk for yogurt. This will put me at $205 for the month, which is great!

Freezermeal Friday! $5 Organic Red Beans and Broccoli

Good evening, all! This week's Freezermeal Friday is Red Beans with Broccoli. My mom would make this all the time for us when I was younger. It packs quite the nutritional punch, with high fiber beans, broccoli, and whole wheat pasta along with tonssss of anti-oxidants! Nice.

Red Beans with Broccoli

serves 6

5 c. organic red beans (I made mine from dried, if using cans you'd need about 3 - $2.79)
4 c. organic broccoli (on sale $1.99/lb at Whole Foods this week - $1.00 - about 4 c. of florets)
1/2 medium onion, chopped ($.04)
3 cloves chopped garlic ($.06)
2 T. olive oil ($.24)
2 t. dried basil ($.06)
1/2 t. black peper ($.03)
1 T. salt ($.01)
1/2 lb. organic whole wheat penne (Trader Joe's - $.65)

Total: $4.88 or $.81/serving. Not bad, people!

1. Saute garlic, onion, olive oil, basil, and pepper over low heat until onion is translucent.
2. Add beans and sauteed onions, garlic, etc. to a large saucepot and fill with about 10 c. of water (you need enough in there to cook the pasta). It should cover beans by about 3 inches, it depends on the pot you're using!
3. Add salt to the water with the beans, cover, and bring to a boil.
4. When boiling, add the pasta, and cook until just tender.
5. Add broccoli and cook for 5 more minutes.
6. Remove from heat, pour into freezer container, allow to cool to room temperature and freeze.
7. When you're ready to eat it, rinse it with hot water to free it from container, and defrost in a large saucepot over low heat.

scrimpyTips:

- This would be great with white beans, too.

- You could use frozen broccoli, easily, or replace the broccoli with spinach.

- This would be good with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

- You could replace the whole wheat penne with any macaroni you like.

- If yours turns out too watery due to too much water used to cook the pasta, you can take out a cup or two and puree it, then return it to the pot to thicken the dish.

(10) Minute Meal Thursday! Pizza Time!

This week's meal was going to be $5 Organic Red Bean Pasta, but that takes too long (as I figured out today), so that's going to be tomorrow's Freezermeal. Instead, I will share with you how I make my amazing pizza. It's soooo good. And quick. And cheap. What more could you ask for from a 3 ingredient (3 main ingredients) meal?

Pizza Pizza

serves 2 piggies 3 normal people

(I'd add a salad for 3, though - I could eat this by myself, but that's not saying much. I ate a large domino's philly cheese steak pizza by myself once - minus one slice)

1 Trader Joe's Premade Pizza Crust, room temperature ($.99)

1 c. organic crushed tomatoes ($.99)

1/3 lb. mozzarella cheese, cut in thin slices ($1.43)

1 T. olive oil ($.12)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1/2 t. black pepper ($.03)

2 t. dried oregano ($.12)

Total is $3.69, nice!

1. Preheat oven to 500. If you're using a pizza stone, leave it in there to get it nice and hot.
2. When oven is preheated, take out pizza stone if using one, or just use your pan, and spread the dough out.
3. Pour olive oil over the top, and spread with your fingers all over the dough.
4. Pour crushed tomatoes on top, leaving an inch all around without tomatoes for crust.
5. Top with slices of cheese, 1 t. salt, 1/2 t. black pepper, and 2 t. oregano.
6. Bake at 500 about 7 minutes, or until crust is light golden brown.
7. Cool , serve, and enjoy!

scrimpyTips:

- This really works best with white dough. I used to try to be virtuous and use whole wheat, but it's just not the same. I buy store bought because it's so easy and I only save, like $.20 by making my own, and it never turns out quite right...

- I buy pizza dough and just freeze it that way I always have one in the freezer ready to go. I had the mozzarella cheese left over from the vegetarian lasagna of last week's Freezermeal Friday, and the tomatoes left over from the extra sauce I made to top it. So with 2 cans of sauce and 1 lb. of mozzarella, I made a lasagna, spaghetti and sauce, and a pizza. Nice! (I know my lasagna needs a whole pound of mozzarella, but I use 3/4 because I don't like a lot of cheese - I just know other people do!).

- If you only have whole tomatoes, just crush them in your hand before adding them on top of the dough.

- Add any toppings you like, we just love it plain!

- This makes a good, cold, leftover lunch.

- Trader Joe's is the best place to buy your pizza dough, both plain and whole wheat are $.99

What are your favorite ways to top your pizza?/Does anyone have a tried and true pizza crust recipe?

Lunch Making for Dummies and other Awesome People

I make Mike's lunch every.single.day.

I can remember as a young girl I would always look forward to the day when I got to put together cool little lunches for my husband and children. Now, after taking care of a baby all day, cooking dinner, straightening up, and finally sitting down, it's like, "ARE YOU KIDDING, I STILL HAVE TO MAKE LUNCH????". I can't wait until I can just buy a bunch of awesome stuff for lunches like fresh mozzerella and proscuitto, but until that time arrives, I have figured out how to do it on the cheap, cheap, cheap!

I used to really worry about variety and all that other sheez, but since the Great Budget Crunch, as long as it's delicious and healthy, I don't mind sending him with the same thing 4/5 days in one week. People sometimes bring the same lunch to work for like, years, right? So a few days won't kill him (this is how I sleep at night). Before I read about the dangers of using the microwave, I used to send him with leftovers everyday. He was eating dinner-quality lunches while I ate oatmeal all day. ANYWAYS! Let me share my lunch-packing techniques with you.

Main Dish

The goal here is to have mostly everything prepared every time you go to put together a lunch. I do a number of different things to make sure this is the case.

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

about $1.50/day

(you can make 1 lb. of this on Sunday night, and be done with it for the rest of the week)

I like to make an Italian Dressing and mix it with half light mayonnaise, then add some grated Romano cheese. Toss in a jar of roasted red peppers ($1.99 from Trader Joe's), some green olives, some diced celery and onion, and some steamed frozen broccoli. That's going to cost you about $7.50 for the week. That's $1.50 a day.

Sandwiches on Whole Wheat Rolls

$.24-$1.95 each

I bake 15 Whole Wheat Rolls every 2 weeks. I then freeze them

wrapped in foil in a freezer bag. Every night, I take one out, and put it in the oven on 350 for 5 minutes to defrost it, make a sandwich and re wrap it in the foil I froze it in. Very inexpensive roll fillings include peanut butter and/or jelly, butter, salami and cheese, cream cheese and tomatoes, or just cheese. You could also make your own hummus from dried beans (organic - $1.75 about) and spread that with some field greens.Other (still cheap) options include tuna salad and cold cuts. These rolls cost me $.15 to make, which means from the bare minimum of butter to cold cuts and cheese these sandwiches run from $.24-$1.95 each. That's really, really cheap. If you're not into making your own bread, which you will be after I show you how to do it next week, just buy big bags of rolls or sandwich bread when it goes on sale and individually wrap and freeze them. You could freeze little packs of 2 slices each, and then thaw as needed. No more stale/moldy bread!

Salads

$2.00 - $2.50 each

Salads are a great cold option for lunch. A 16 oz. container of organic baby greens at Whole Foods costs $6.99 and will last you a week. Just make a salad dressing in the beginning of the week (like my Spring Spinach Salad dressing), and bring it in a little container alongside the greens. You could also buy a pound of chicken breasts and grill them on Sunday night, and throw them in, as well. Add walnuts and raisins in lieu of chicken, if you prefer, or a handful of cooked beans!

This salad will cost you between $2.00 and $2.50 a day depending on whether or not you add walnuts, raisins, chicken, or beans.

*********************************

Those are just a few of your options, but I think that salads, sandwiches, and pasta salads are a good way to start. You can rotate between the 3 every week, or change your sandwich every week, to keep it fresh! Stay tuned for my post next week where I'll discuss peripheral lunch items like cookies, muffins, fruit, and veggies!

If you're like most people who buy lunch, you probably spend between $5 and $10 dollars a day on lunch. That's $1,300 - $2,600 a year. My way costs between $500-$650 a year! That's a huge savings...what I'd do if I were you, is start bringing my own lunch and up my 401(k) contribution. Or you could just save it up and go on vacation or something. That's a $700-$2,000 savings every year! Damn...Imagine what you could save if you did it for 5 years! Wow.

Benefits of making your own lunch:

• You save a LOAD of money
• You know what's in your food
• It's way healthier
• You save a LOAD of money

Enjoy your lunch :).

P.S. My baby Dylan got his first tooth today/last night!!!

Low(er) Fat, Whole Wheat, Chocolate Chip Nibbles

OK, so here's the deal with this one. The first time I used this base recipe, I tried to halve the recipe to a third. Turned out I thirded all the ingredients except for the flour. So, the next time, I was really committed to doing it right, so that I could report the recipe to all of you readers. Well, this time, I added HALF the butter I was supposed to add. BUT the cookies turned out pretty damn good, so I was like, "well, whatever, they're low fat, whole wheat, and delicious". I'm not going to lie, though, if you like your cookies to spread out and get nice and flat and chewy, these aren't for you. HOWEVER, if you don't mind a thicker, less buttery cookie, these are perfect. THAT BEING SAID, you could add an extra 1/4 c. of butter (1/2 stick) and they would probably spread and be nice and greasy like the ones you remember (I'm not judging you, add the butter if you need to...JUST KIDDING, I am judging you - make them healthy!)

Just be warned, the dough is REALLY crumbly. You really have to heat it with your hands and press it firmly into a ball. These don't spread too much, just kind of puff up. They're little nibbles.

So, here goes nothing!

what're these two trouble-makers up to?

(p.s. these are made from the dough I set aside in the fridge...they still came out awesome. They were even more crumbly than the first batch, but the heat from my hands helped me shape them into balls.)

Organic-ish LFWWCC Nibbles

(Low(er) Fat, Whole Wheat, Chocolate Chip Cookies)

makes 4 dozen - feel free to half if needed!

2 c. Whole Wheat Flour (organic - $.46)

1 c. All Purpose Flour (organic - $.25)

2 t. baking soda ($.02 - triple check you're using SODA not POWDER)

1/4 t. salt (<$.01)

1/2 c. butter (1 stick - $.70)

2/3 c. brown sugar ($.38)

2/3 c. white sugar ($.10)

2 eggs (organic - $.60)

1/2 t. vanilla extract ($.08)

1 c. chocolate chips ($.80)

Total for about 4 dozen small cookies: $3.40...That's $.07/cookie and $.85/dozen. You'd pay a lot more than that at the store, and these are so quick and easy to make!

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cream softened butter and sugars until light and fluffy. If you don't have time to let your butter soften, just slice it really thinly into your mixing bowl.
3. Add eggs one at a time. Wait until one's incorporated to add the next.
4. Add vanilla. Mix.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk both flours, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add to wet ingredients and stir until the dough comes together. It will be crumbly. That's because we cut the fat so much. When you press the balls together, they'll be fine.
7. Stir in chocolate chips.
8. Shape cookies into balls, and press together the way you would a meatball. It may take some finesse, that's just the price we pay for delicious lower fat cookies!
9. Arrange on sheet leaving 2 inches between them.
10. Bake for 10 minutes. They should still be quite soft in the middle, but baked around the edges. They'll harden up a bit once they're out of the oven!
11. Enjoy :).

scrimpyTips:

- I baked half, and put the other half in the fridge. I plan to bake them the way you would regular store bought cookie dough. This way, we can have a few fresh cookies whenever the mood strikes. I find that when you bake a huge batch of cookies, unless you have people to give them away to (and screw THAT, I'm not giving away my cookies! OK, I gave my friend Crystal ONE, but that's because she's special), they get very hard before you can eat them all. Using this method, we'll have fresh ones every time!

- You can use more chocolate chips. I just found that since the dough is crumbly to begin with, adding too many chocolate chips can make forming the dough balls a bit tricky.

- These would be great with some walnuts added in! You could even sneak in 1/3-1/2 c. of ground flax seeds. I've done that before and it's a great way to add omegas to your cookie.

So there you have it, my friends. A recipe for whole wheat chocolate chip cookies using half the butter of the average recipe. I really hope you love them as much as we do ;). If you'd like them more buttery, just add an extra half stick of butter (1/4 c. - $.35).

What's tricks do you guys have to healthify your baked goods? I'd love to hear your comments!

(30...well, 35) Minute Meal Thursday!

Hey all! Cooking while Dylan is awake is always a challenge, so I usually wait until he goes down at 6 to prepare dinner for Mike and me. However, with the time change and the summer coming up, we've been trying to keep him up later, so that we can enjoy him more. This means I'm stuck cooking dinner while he's awake (unless I've prepared it throughout the day, which I sometimes d0). There are tons of meals you can throw together in 30 minutes on a weeknight that are both satisfying and healthy. The following recipe for lentils and rice is a great example of that!

Mike and I eat dinner around 7 or 8 because it's enjoyable to sit and relax once the baby's down. With the baby staying up later, quick meals are great because I can put them together in almost no time at all, and still be eating at a reasonable hour. A little aside: Mike and I started eating later when we started putting Dylan down at 6, but it's turned out to be a great little change to our routing. Eating dinner later causes us to be too full to snack all night, saving us calories and money! Nice.

I found this recipe online, but I think lentils take a little longer to cook than 30 minutes...I guess we'll see...I'll tell you the result after the recipe, because I'm writing this while it cooks. How do I know it will be good? No clue, but I'm sure it will be. Hopefully.

Lentils and Rice

makes 8 servings

1 lb. lentils (organic - $2.39 - WFs)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1 1/2 c. dry brown rice (organic - $1.20 - WFs)

1 medium onion ($.07)

4 medium carrots, finely chopped, about 2 c. ($.64 - organic)

2 cloves garlic ($.04)

1 1/2 T. olive oil ($.36)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1 dash black pepper ($.01)

1/4 t. red pepper flakes ($.02)

1 t. dried basil ($.06)

1 T. red wine vinegar ($.06)

1 t. salt for brown rice water ($.01)

Total is $4.88. That's mostly organic and serves 8 people. Lentils are also amazing for you. That's $.61/serving, which is so cheap for an organic meal.

1. You're going to need 2 pots of boiling water. One medium-large one that can accomodate 1 pound of lentils. The other pot can be smaller, it's for the rice.
2. Fill one pot with 10 c. water and the other with 3 c. water 1 t. salt, set both on high.
3. When the water boils, add the lentils to the big pot, and the rice to the small pot.
4. Turn lentils to medium heat and rice to a low heat.
5. Simmer the lentils until tender (about 35 minutes) and the rice until cooked (about 30 minutes).

To make the vegetables:

1. Chop onion, and finely chop carrots and garlic.
2. Add 1 1/2 T. olive oil to pan over medium heat.
3. Let oil heat, and then throw the carrots, garlic, onion, basil, 1 t. salt, dash black pepper, red pepper flakes, and dried basil.
4. Cook until onions are translucent and carrots are tender. Leave a top on if possible, as this keeps the moisture in the vegetables.
5. When lentils and rice are done combine them with the vegetables and add about another 1 t. of salt, or to taste.
6. Serve and enjoy!

This is a great recipe. It's delicious as a vegan or vegetarian main dish or a side dish to meat or fish. We ate it as a main dish with a small spinach salad. Taste before serving and add more salt if necessary.

scrimpyTips:

- This is great for a cold lunch salad.

- This can be made with barley and short pasta.

- Mushrooms would be really great in this. I may buy some and add them in tomorrow.

- This is a good make ahead, just prepare the rice and add premade lentil-vegetable mix.

Sorry this is a 35 minute meal. It's worth the extra time, though! Let me know what you think :).

7 Potatoes, 7 Eggs, 2 Ways, Part 1

Yum, yum, people! SO, today I realized I had 7 large baking potatoes. In the fridge, I also had 7 eggs (okay, I had 11, but just bear with me for the sake of the story). Originally, I was going to make a potato chowder for Freezermeal Friday, but I am not so sure how potato soup freezes, and of course I didn't want to steer you wrong. So then I thought, "Oh, I'll use half the potatoes for soup, and we'll eat it in the next few days, and with the rest I'll make something else". Then I realized I didn't have any carrots or celery (this never happens, I was out of town!), so soup was out of the picture.


I finally settled on potato salad and potato and egg pie.

Potato Party Salad

serves 6 as a side dish

5 large baking potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs, $.75 Haymarket)

3 T. chopped white onion ($.03 Haymarket)

1/3 c. mayonnaise ($.25)

1 1/2 T. Dijon mustard ($.13)

1 t. salt (<$.01)

1/2 t. black pepper ($.03)

2 hard boiled eggs (organic - $.60)

1 T. white vinegar ($.01)

Total is $1.81 for about 2 lbs of potato salad...not bad!

1. Peel and chop potatoes into large cubes (I halve, then quarter then chop a few times, resulting in about 12 chunks per potato - I don't have my camera so I can't share the pictures with you, sorry...)
2. Put them in a large pot and cover with cold water. Cover and bring to a boil.
3. Boil until fork tender (the fork goes in and out easily, and they are beginning to get a little soft...I would take them out when they're right about where you'd eat them)
4. Drain. While they're still in the strainer, cover with a dishcloth for about 5. This allows the steam to go back through the potato resulting in a great consistency. The Barefoot Contessa taught me this one!
5. In a small bowl, combine mayonnaise, mustard, salt, pepper, and onions.
6. When potatoes have sat under the towel long enough, pour a T. of white vinegar over them.
7. Toss the vinegar-y potatoes with the mayonnaise mix.
8. Chop hard boiled eggs and add to salad, mixing to combine.
9. If you'd prefer more dressing, just add more mayonnaise by the tablespoon full, and add another teaspoon of mustard for every tablespoon of mayonnaise you add.

scrimpyTips:

- This is pretty much a pantry recipe, I keep all these ingredients on hand.

- This would look pretty with some chopped green onions sprinkled on top, and would be perfect to serve at a brunch!

- This is good served alongside a salad or sandwich for a dinner entree.

- This is a good microwave free lunch dish.

- You can add extra eggs, or omit the eggs entirely.

- You can add chopped celery if you like that, too.

Stop and Shop Sale Alert!

Sorrento Ricotta cheese is on sale $3.49 for a 2 lb. container. This is a great deal!!!

I'd buy 2. Use one fresh (and make the Turkey and Spinach Manicotti recipe in my Freezer Veggie post), and make a big lasagna with the other and freeze it for later (using my Tomato Sauce recipe found here). Next Freezermeal Friday will be lasagna, so buy one of these if you plan to make it!

Freezermeal Friday!

Hey PEOPLE! Welcome to the second weekly Freezermeal Friday, where I put together a simple, healthy meal that's easy to freeze and reheat. This week's recipe...(obligatory drumroll, please)...Split Pea Soup.

My mom is the one who taught me how to make soup. During the winter for dinners, she'd often be simmering a pot of turkey, lentil, or split pea soup all day. Now, while this conjures up images
of homey-goodness and a warm, happy family, do not be fooled. We were just as messed up as any normal (or not so normal) family, my mom just happened to make some damn good soup. Props to deb!


Anyways...soups are a great way to add vegetables and legumes to your family's diet while sticking to a tiny budget. While a lot of recipes will call for broth or stock, I never use it. I fashion my own stock by cooking a mirepoix (a fancy French word for a combo of onions, celery, and carrots) and adding cold water. I then bring the cold water (I use cold water because the longer the water takes to heat, the more flavor it extracts from the ingredients) to a boil and simmer that for a half hour. This creates a type of veggie broth suitable for use as a soup base. I'll then add my pre-soaked beans, or whatever I'm using, and cook until they're done. Then - if I'm feeling especially sassy - I'll add some pasta. Watch out, America, here I come...pasta in hand, ready to add it to your soup. BAM! Ok, anyways...I will post more about this technique later.


Here's the recipe, which is all you're here to read, I'm sure. And here I am..."Blah, blah, blah..."

We'll give my mom a shout out on this recipe, too, since she's the one who taught me.

deby's Split Pea Soup

makes about 7 servings
(or "Soup-a-Doups", if you're my mom...or if you're me, because I now use this term, because like all women, I have turned into my mother.)

2 c. carrots (organic - Whole Foods - $.54)

1 c. celery (organic - TJs - $.40)

1 medium onion (1 c. chopped - $.07 - Haymarket)

3 T. olive oil ($.36)

3 cloves garlic ($.06 - Haymarket)

3 T. salt ($.01)

1 t. black pepper ($.06 - CVS)

1 t. dried parsley ($.06 - CVS)

1 t. dried basil ($.06 - CVS)

1/2 t. onion powder ($.03 - CVS - optional, if you don't have it, it's not a big deal)

1 bay leaf ($.01 - optional, I really don't know what bay leaves do...if they even DO anything...)

120 c. water (nah, just kidding - 12 c. cold water - still a lot)

3 c. hot water

1 lb. split peas (organic - $1.99 - I got these in NY but I think they have them at WFs...I'll check for you let you know in an UPDATE)

1/2 lb. small pasta (pastina, mini shells, pearls) $.50

4 fresh whole wheat rolls homemade by moi (bread-making workshop coming soon! - $.60)

Total: $4.15 ($4.75 with homemade bread)...for a HUGE pot of mostly organic fresh, healthy, delicious soup. Not freaking bad!

1. Chop carrots (about 5 medium), celery (about 2-4 stalks depending on whether you're using stalks or hearts - you can include leaves, they have a ton of flavor...mmm...mmm...), onion, and garlic.
2. Add it to a huge pot over low heat along with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion powder, parsley, and basil (and the bay leaf, if you have one).



3. Simmer vegetables until tender, about 30 minutes. Keep the top on, or else they will dry out. The top keeps the steam in.
4. When the veggies are tender, add 10 c. of cold water, and then put the top back on and put the heat up to high. Bring to a boil.
5. When the water is boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer this make-shift "stock" for 30 minutes (with the top on, also).
6. Add the split peas (after you rinse them to make sure there's no sticks or pebbles in there - talk about stone soup!).
7. Simmer soup until split peas are cooked (about an hour, depending on the consistency you like). If you want the soup to be thick and creamy, keep simmering until it's how you like it.
8. Add in the 3 additional cups of hot water and the pasta. On high, bring to a boil until pasta is done.
9. Serve with fresh bread or croutons (fresh bread cut into big chunks and toasted a bit with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic). YUM, right???

scrimpyTips:

-To this soup, you can add a ham hock (ask your butcher, or use leftover) and ham meat, or even a few strips of bacon, for extra flavor. Add it with the veggies and olive oil.

-You can substitute barley for pasta.

-This soup is better the next day, so even if you're not freezing it, it's a great make-ahead. Just reheat when you're ready to eat it. Stays in the refigerator for a week.

-Don't think you're going to make this soup when you get home from work. This takes a good amount of time to simmer, prepare the veggies, etc...do this on a weekend when you have time to chill and wait for it.

Pantry Party Part I

Good Wednesday morning! I'm in NY, posting from the beautiful Hamptons...there's a ton of snow here, but it's still nice to get out of the city and relax. I love being home for a bunch of reasons. I obviously love seeing my family, and I love that I don't have to clean, or run errands, or even really cook for myself. It's great. The flip side of that, however, is that I have to wake up with the baby every night by myself (last night from 1 am to 3:30 am).

Anyways...Dylan's napping and I am here to talk to you about stocking your pantry. This is part one of a series...today I will discuss your dry cabinet pantry which includes: grains, dry beans, and pastas.

What do I mean by pantry?

*Pantry refers to all of your non-perishables or foods that stay fresh for an insanely long time. My pantry includes my cabinets, my refrigerator, my freezer and my fruit and vegetable bowls. Today I'd like to share with you tips for building your cabinet pantry.

Why stock a pantry?

*I believe stocking your pantry is one of the most budget friendly tactics you can employ to keep your food costs low, low, low. By having your basic essentials on hand, you eliminate the need to buy a ton of ingredients for every meal you cook. If you have a well stocked cabinet pantry, you can just buy perishables every week, and rest assured knowing you have most of what you need at home.

*Many items in your cabinet pantry are amazing multi-taskers. All you need to do is buy one jar of dried basil, but that one jar will take you through tons (probably hundreds) of meals! The same goes for most spices. This applies to oils, too. You will probably use some sort of oil in almost everything you cook, so it's important to always have it at hand.

*You can often throw together meals entirely from your pantry in a pinch. A little garlic, oil, pasta, and a can of beans goes a long way when you have nothing in the house (like when you get home from a vacation - or you've exhausted your grocery budget for the month).

What's in a cabinet pantry?

I have organized my cabinet pantry into 3 sections. This works for me, but feel free to organize yours any old way! I will draw a beautiful picture:

Grains and Dry Beans

These are staples of meal planning in my house. Here's what I keep on hand at all times. Those with a "*" are bonus points!

• Steel Cut Oats (for breakfast and babies)
• Brown Rice (use like pasta under chilis, baked beans, in soups)
• Rice Sticks* (for stirfries and asian)
• Quinoa* (use as you would rice)
• Barley* (soups)
• Dry Red, Black, or Pinto Beans
• A 16 Bean Mix*
• Lentils
• Split Peas

By keeping the above items in your pantry, you can be sure you'll always have the ingredients to make a healthful meal on hand. From the above, depending on the quality of your overall pantry, you can make: fried rice, rice and beans, stir fry, and a bunch of different soups.

Pastas

I cook with pastas a lot - especially whole wheat ones (which are as good as any other whole grain, nutritionally). They're a great, inexpensive option for dinners, and I try to cook with them several times a week to keep the grocery costs down. Keep a variety of pastas on hand for different uses.

• Penne (stands up to fresh vegetable toppings and heavy sauces, also good for ziti)
• Farfalle - bowties, or literally - "butterflies" in Italian (perfect in place of noodles in casseroles)
• Spaghetti and/or Linguine (perfect for lighter sauces, but also stands up to meatballs and other toppings...can be used in asian cuisine as well in place of noodles - as in sesame noodles, yum!)
• Lasagna noodles (for lasagna...duh)
• Rotini (perfect for all sorts of pasta salads and baked macaroni dishes)

If you stock your pantry correctly, you'll always have a pasta-based meal just 20 minutes away.

Canned Goods

Having canned goods on hand ensures you always have at least something to eat. They're a great way to stretch your grocery dollars and always have something to cook with at hand.

• Beans (for dips, pastas, and soups)
• Clams* (for clam sauce and chowder)
• Tomatoes (for sauce and chili)
• Soups (especially cream of mushroom for casseroles)
• Olives* (as a throw in to pasta salad or topping for pizza)
• Artichoke hearts* (for use in pasta, pasta salads, or pizza)

If you keep some of the above on hand, you'll always be able to make a bean dip for entertaining, a pot of sauce for dinner, or some garlicky bean soup...assuming your refrigerator and basket pantry are up to par!

My scrimpyPantry Tips

Here are some tips to help you stock your pantry as inexpensively as possible.

Brown Rice - WFs has a good deal on organic, TJs has sells conventional at around $1/lb.

Beans - if you're going conventional then Stop and Shop is the way to go @ 3 cans/$2. Organic go for about $1/can at both TJs and WFs.

Dried Beans and peas and lentils - Whole Foods has the best deals on these. A pound of organic will cost you $1.99 across the board, only $.50 more than what conventional costs at Stop and Shop. TJs does not carry dry beans. TJs does, however, sell a 16 bean mix with some grains in it for $1.29 (or something like that).

Clams - these go on sale at Stop and Shop and CVS 4/$5. I stock up then. 2 cans makes clam sauce for 4, and with a pound of pasta this is a $3.50 dinner.

Canned Beans - if you're going conventional then Stop and Shop is the way to go @ 3 cans/$2. Organic go for about $1/can at both TJs and WFs.

Pasta - hands down, TJs has the best prices on pasta in town. White will cost you $.99/lb and organic whole wheat will set you back a mere $1.29/lb. Amazing!

Tomatoes - if you're going conventional then TJs, WFs, and S&S are all comparable. Organic are cheapest at WFs at $1.79/28 oz. can...that's a GREAT price considering you generally pay $1/28 oz. conventional can.

Soups - Campbell's coups can often be found buy one get one free making them under $1. Add in some sale tuna and organic whole wheat pasta for a $5 casserole that serves at least 4.

Olives and Artichoke Hearts - Unlikely versatile ingredients that can be added atop a pizza (prepared crust from TJs @ $.99 + a handful of organic canned tomatoes @ $.75 + can of olives @ $1 = a vegan pizza for under $3) or a pasta dish. Also good for a quick antipasto platter for entertaining!

Jarred tapenade or bruschetta - I like to keep a $3 TJs jar of these on hand in case of entertaining or dinner emergencies. The tapenade can be served along a loaf of bread or with crackers to make a quick platter, as can the bruschetta. Alternately, the bruschetta can be tossed with hot penne for a $4 dinner for 5.

I hope this post helps you develop and build a working pantry. Stay tuned in the coming days and weeks for:

• tips on stocking a refrigerator pantry
• how to build a fruit and veggie pantry
• spice, seasoning and oil pantry
• building a baking pantry
• creating a freezer pantry
• pantry recipes

Trader Joe's Success!

Recently, I was shopping at Trader Joe's and realized that I just have to share this receipt with you. I cannot believe how many groceries I got for under $30. I bought:

Frozen berry medley for smoothies
Frozen Harvest Hodgepodge vegetables for stir fry
Thai rice sticks for stir fry
Salami and provolone for Mike's lunch sandwiches
Pizza dough for a pizza
Organic soy milk for smoothies and cereal
Organic whole wheat spaghetti
White spaghetti for white clam sauce
Mini pearl tomatoes
Organic frozen sweet peas for baby food
Organic wild blueberries for smoothies and muffins
Organic steel cut oats for breakfast and baby

All this for a whopping $27.08. Are you kidding me with this? I really cannot get over at how inexpensive this much food was. Almost half of it was organic! These groceries will feed my family for a week. Obviously not everything I need is on that list, which is why it's so important to have a stocked pantry of necessary cooking items. That way, you just do a small shop for fresh ingredients each week or so, and have all the little items (canned goods, oils, spices, grains) on hand. I will be posting about building a great pantry this week!

The reason I'm writing the post is to motivate you to try out Trader Joe's. I live 2 miles away, but I walk over there (you're crazy if you think i'm paying $3.40 for the T round trip) anyways, because the prices are amazing. If you're looking to stretch your grocery buck, this is the place to be. Granted, they won't have everything you want, but that's really ok.

There are 3 TJs in the city...one in Cambridge, one in Back Bay (take the T to Hynes Convention Center or Prudential stop and walk to Boylston - right across from the Prudential on Boylston street), and one in Brookline (with beer and wine - Coolidge Corner stop on the C line).

They have great prices on:

• butter
• organic soy milk
• organic yogurt
• pizza dough
• olive oil
• jelly
• cheese
• chocolate
• nuts
• organic raisins
• organic romaine hearts
• frozen fruit
• prepared foods
• breads and bagels
• potatoes
• vanilla extract
• oatmeal
• protein powder

If you can make it over to TJs, I insist that you do. You can't find a better value anywhere in the city. Like I always say, Trader Joe's has almost everything you could need and nothing you don't. If you're trying to eat healthy on a tight budget, TJs is a great place to start because the prices are so reasonable, you won't be scared off!

I should let you know, though, that Whole Foods prices are cheaper on some things. Overall, your shopping experience will be insanely cheaper for a market basket of goods at TJs, but WFs has some really great deals, which I will post about later this week. So stay tuned for deals I've found at Whole Foods, as well as for the Whole Foods Pick of the Week!

scrimpyTips:

-This place is bad during peak hours. Apparently once people walk in there, they lose their ability to see peripherally. This makes people run into you/back into you/cut you off/run you over with abandon. Oh, and good luck getting an "excuse me" or an apology. I would go early on a weekend morning or during the work day (not at lunchtime though) if possible.

-Even though it seems tiny, you can navigate this place (Back Bay) with a stroller. You just walk in, and take the lift down. After that, it's smooth sailing...well, as long as you're not there during peak hours. See prior tip.

NO excuses that you don't live close to a TJs! I walk 4 miles round trip (with a 7 month old!).

What in the world do you do with bone-in chicken breasts???

Good Monday Morning! As you may or may not have read, Whole Foods bone-in split chicken breasts are on sale $2.99. I had no clue what to tell you to do with them, as I've never cooked with them myself. They sounded like a good deal, so I posted them, and what do you know? Erin over at $5 Dinners has provided us with a great post on how to prepare these little guys. How great!

What else do you guys do with these dang things?

Ten Minute Meal Thursday...ok, like 15 (but that doesn't count the time it takes to boil the water...this is active prep time)

UPDATE: I've added pictures, and changed a couple of things...the cheese was a tiny bit more expensive than I had thought, so I updated the price, and the meal took a little over 10 minutes. That doesn't count the 5 minutes the water takes to boil, though. I'd prep the garlic and tomatoes while the water boils.

Here's the first Ten Minute Meal Thursday Recipe. I'm trying to incorporate a sale item from the area, which would be the organic cherry tomatoes over at Shaw's. Stay tuned next week for another Ten Minute Meal using the $2.99/lb pork sausage at Whole Foods!

Tomato Basil Toss
serves 4

- 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes ($2.99 organic on sale @ Shaw's starting 2/27)
- 2 T olive oil ($.24)
- 2 cloves garlic ($.04)
- 1 t. dried basil ($.06)
- 1/2 t. salt (<$.01)

- 1 dash black pepper (<$.01)

- 1 lb. whole wheat or plain spaghetti or linguine (organic whole wheat @ Trader Joe's $1.29)

-1/2 c. grated fresh Romano cheese (I really don't know exactly what this costs, since I haven't bought it in so long, but I'm pretty sure that at TJs it's around $9.00/lb which would make a half cup (which weighs 1.3 oz) cost $.73)

Total: $5.37 for a mostly organic dinner for 4! Not bad.

1. Put on pot of boiling water and salt it well (with, like, more salt than you'd think, about 2 T./pound of pasta).
2. Slice garlic cloves into thin slices and cut tomatoes in half.
3. In a large (preferably nonstick) skillet, heat garlic, oil, basil, salt, and pepper all together at the same time on medium low (if you add garlic to a hot pan it will burn on the outside and stay raw on the inside). You could sprinkle in some red pepper flakes here if you're looking for spice (1/4 t.)
4. Your water should be boiling now, so put in the whole package of pasta.
5. Once garlic is just barely golden, add the tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes over medium high heat, or until they start to soften a bit.
6. Ladle out 2 or 3 ladlefulls of pasta water into the skillet and allow that to simmer together on medium until the pasta is done.





7. When the pasta is done, drain it and add it to the skillet (turn off heat), tossing to coat with tomatoes and oil and such. You can add the cheese during this final toss, or add it to each bowl after it's served.

scrimpyTips:

- If you garden in the summer (I'm doing containers on the fire escape!), this is a great go-to meal. It'd be even better with fresh basil from the garden :).
- Reserve some of the pasta water, and if the pasta looks a bit dry try adding another ladlefull of pasta water.
- Taste this before taking it out of the pan, the recipe may under-do the salt. I figure everyone has different taste and you can always add a bit more in the end (however, it's always important to try to season your food to your taste while it's cooking, because salting something while it's cooking brings out and enhances the natural flavors of ingredients, whereas adding salt at the end mostly tastes salty).
- This is delicious leftover and cold, perfect for a microwave free lunch
- You can slice the garlic and tomatoes beforehand and store them separately so they're ready to go when you are
- This is easily made vegan with the omission of the cheese

- Add the cheese in very last, if you add it in while the skillet is hot it gets stringy

The next Thursday meal is going to be a 20 minute meal. I'm going to include the time it takes to make the pasta...10 minute meal is actually a little misleading...

Natural Cleaning Product Recipes!

Good morning, everyone! I usually like to get a good amount of decent cleaning done on Saturdays, because I have Mike's help with the baby. During the week, it's all I can do to just keep up with the minimum of cleaning, because Dylan needs me! Anyways, it's nice to have my hands free on Saturday and be able to clean up real nice :).

In my research, I came across this site that is way better than anything I could put together. I'm going to just write my recipe for favorite all time cleaning tricks. I'm a bare minimum type of girl, because why use more ingredients than absolutely necessary, right?



Taylor's Favorite Homemade Cleaner

1/4 c. vinegar ($.05)
4 c. water ($.00)
30 drops of any essential oil you'd like (lavender, eucalyptus, tea tree...) (optional) ($.23)

Mix this all together and pour it into a recycled (or new) spray bottle. Vinegar is a great disinfectant and deodorizer. The vinegar smell goes away so quickly, even if you don't use essential oils. Personally, I don't even use the essential oils, because I'm trying to keep the cleaners superscrimpy. But, I know that you can get bottles of lavendar essential oil pretty inexpensively on amazon.com. I think I'm going to invest in some so that I can experiment a little more, and make some really nice home cleaners. You should, too! I buy a gallon of vinegar for, like $3 at stop and shop, which makes these cleaners $.05/windex bottle (32oz) without essential oils.

OK, so that link above for amazon, ok here it is again, is for 4 oz. of tea tree oil for $18.40 (with . shipping). That would mean that every 30 drops are $.23. So, an entire thing of this cleaner would cost you $.28 and would be all natural and safe for your family.

Total for a windex sized spray bottle full is $.28. I use it for:

• Countertops
• Stove Top (just spray, let it sit, and come back to it, spray again, and wipe)
• Dylan's high chair tray
• Bathroom
• Sink
• Floors
• Um, everything

Another great idea from treehuggingfamily.com that I had never thought of is boiling citrus peels with some essential oils or spices or fresh lavender or romemary on the stovetop!

I also like the method of simmering fresh rosemary, thyme, or sage and straining. This makes a disinfectant water. Adding a few drops of castile soap or other natural soap will help cut grease.

Anyways, as you can see, there are a ton of options, but above is the easiest, cheapsest, most multipurpose cleaner I know of. Make a batch and let me know what you think!

Making your own cleaners is a great way to keep crap out of the air and your environment. I love knowing that my family is not exposed to any chemicals.

Oh, and PS. Baking soda. Yes, baking soda. So cheap, and is a great non-abrasive yet so abrasive scouring agent. It won't scratch things and is amazing for getting ANYTHING off of ANYTHING. Once I realized this, I went crazy on some pans that I thought were past the point of no return, and guess what? They weren't. Baking soda beat their asses. Try it.

All Hail the first Freezermeal Friday!

my camera isn't too good with food pics (neither am I)


Welcome to Freezermeal Friday! I'm so excited you're here and I hope to help you prepare a healthy, organic meal that you and your family can enjoy in a pinch. This serves 4 hungry adults over brown rice ($.81).

Black Bean Confetti Chili

1 28 oz. can organic tomatoes ($1.67)
1/3 bag dried organic black beans (about 2 1/2 c. prepared) ($.66)
2 cloves garlic ( $.04 - Haymarket 5 heads garlic/$.75)
1/2 medium onion ($.07 - Haymarket bag of 13 onions/$1)
1 T. olive oil ($.24)
1 T. salt (<$.01) 1 dash black pepper ($.06)

1 t. dried basil ($.06)

1 t parsley ($.06)

1 1/2 t. cumin ($.28)

1T. chili powder ($.06)

1/4 t. cayenne pepper ($.06)

1 c. frozen organic corn ($.99)

1. Finely chop the onion and garlic and add it with the oil, salt, pepper, basil, and parsley to a pot on low heat. Half of this medium onion chopped is about 3/4 c. Keep the top of the pot on to keep the moisture in, if you don't the moisture will evaporate and your onions and garlic will burn. Here is a picture of what I consider a medium onion:

Here is another picture portraying what I consider to be the easiest way to peel an onion:

I cut off the ends, slice the outermost layer, and then peel it off, along with the skin! (God, looking at these pictures makes me realize how badly I need a manicure. Good thing my mom is taking me out for one when I visit her in NY next week - thanks Mom, love you!).

2. Cook the onions and spices and garlic and oil until the onions are translucent.

3. Add can of tomatoes and stir together. Add cumin, chili powder, and cayenne (which can be omitted or increased for personal preference).

4. Simmer the tomatoes and spices for 10 minutes and then add the beans. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes on low, or until the consistency is to your liking.

5. This makes about 4 servings for dinner for adults. To freeze, portion out in your bag(s) of choice, and bring them to room temperature by either leaving them out (maybe on the windowsill with an open window) or putting them in a cold water bath (make sure those bags are sealed well, or you'll be damn sorry).

6. Oh, I should've mentioned this before, but if I go back and add it the whole recipe will be ruined because I'm on my fiance's computer that is a little messed up --- LABEL THE BAGS WITH SHARPIE - include date the food was cooked, how many portions are in it, and what it is.

7. Lie the bags flat (so they take up less room and are easier to manage in the freezer) and allow them to freeze. Lying them flat also allows them to freeze quicker, reducing the chance that the food in the middle will grow bacteria before it's frozen.

There's your first scrimpy Freezermeal! I hope you enjoy it. Here's some tips to make it even better:

• You can add a pound of any type of ground beef to this. Just brown it in a pan and add it to the tomatoes with the beans. It will then serve 8 I think...right? (if you do this let me know how many hungry adults it serves)
  
• I love to add sour cream and hot sauce on top of mine.


• It's good on over orzo pasta, too.


• You could add chunks of grilled chicken to it, too.


• To reheat, just soak bag in hot water and dump the frozen brick into the pot and warm over low until hot. I don't have a microwave but I'm sure micorwave defrosting it wouldn't be too difficult. You could also leave the bag in the fridge in the morning and it would probably be soft by the time you got home.


• Excuse the picture, but we ate it last night and I forgot to take the picture. There's rice all mixed in and it just doesn't look as pretty without the dollop of sour cream (and garnish of chives). My bad, OK people? I have a baby...so that's my excuse, I'm busy! PLEASE excuse the formatting problems, too. Again - I don't have my computer and this one's keyboard is broken!

TOTAL: $5.07/4 servings which is $1.27/serving. Not bad. If you're not into organic this would be, like, half the price...but go organic, it's better for you!

Haymarket Roundup!

Hey all! Welcome to the very first Haymarket Roundup...here I will let you know if I've found any good deals. First, let me tell you what you can usually always get there for a good price:

-Onions (yellow and red)

-Carrots

-Celery

-Apples

-Pears

-Peppers

-Potatoes

-Tomatoes

-Berries

None of the above are organic. So, I don't necessarily recommend getting all your produce here, but if you're not into organic, then the above are great deals. Also, if you need something in a pinch and you live around here, you can stop by and pick up whatever.

Here is what I found this week at Haymarket:

-Oranges ($2/6)...I buy these here because they're a low pesticide residue crop. Since they barely retain chemicals, I buy them conventional. They're great because they're so cheap in season. During the winter it's one of the only fruits we eat.

-Organic Bananas! I found organic bananas 3lbs/$2! That's $.67/lb for organic bananas! Now, there in the front of the market closest to the T stop. You walk back towards government center, and across from the fish you'll find organic bananas. They're easy to spot because they have big stickers on them and their numbers start in "9".

-Mushrooms - at TJs they're $2.80/lb and here they're $2/lb. So I bought them for the upcoming 10 minute meal using the whole foods sale sausage. I buy them conventional because they're not on the dirty dozen list of high pesticide residue food.

scrimpyTips:

- When you find a great deal on organic bananas, buy a crapload of them. Then what I do, is break them into thirds (once they're perfectly ripe) and freeze them for use in smoothies or muffins. For smoothies, just throw them in with yogurt, milk and/or berries. For muffins, defrost them in the fridge before use (they'll be all brown and watery, but it's ok, just use them - they're fine). I'm going to post about freezing your own fruit. It's a great thing to do when you have ripe fruit that you can't use up in time.

- Check out my other post to make sense of Haymarket.

- Please mind the tiny font in the drawing...