Menus for Frugality

[ChickenMomma91]

Who here plans out a menu with your pantry in mind so that the stuff you can't seem to store is figured out and you don't have to make last minute runs to the store?

Well I do and it saves us loads of money. It has cut back on the impulse buys (except gardening stuff, not allowed in the garden center unsupervised hehe) and I always know what I'm making for dinner! For two weeks and this includes general merchandise items such as toilet paper and pet food we spend $200 or less. That feeds us three square meals a day and gives us enough leftovers for the day before trash day (gotta love cleaning out the fridge). Plus it allows us to be able to purchase our meats from a local butcher shop rather than the big box store that we still have to use.

 

[FarmerJamie]

Since the hurricane I have been trying to cook bean soup with pasta at least once a week. I can’t believe how much canned beans and pasta I now have stock piled. I should probably think of something to do with the peanut butter. I have a feeling I will be eating it past the expiration date. I stopped going to the donation lines because of not having much room for more but it doesn’t matter because it gets delivered anyway 🤷‍♀️. Oh and the oatmeal. I have a feeling I won’t eat it fast enough too. Been making oatmeal cake sometimes.

Peanut butter and Oatmeal excess? Add cocoa powder, butter, and vanilla for no bake cookies!

 

[MoonShadows]

And @baymule, I love chicken livers, hearts & gizzards.

Anyone else getting hungry?

 

[Mini Horses]

@Cecilia's-life Give it a go! You'll be amazed at yourself. Really nice to have meat on hand AND just ready to heat and eat. We're all intimidated for first tries.

Hey, you just cooked twins with no experience! 🤭 Chicken in a jar is a piece cake. 🤣

 

[Britesea]

If you have diabetes and can't get anything other than hi carb foods, you can mitigate it to some point by eating a lot of cinnamon. Cinnamon helps insulin work better. Also, I've found that if you can keep your calories down (which, admittedly, most of us Type 2's haven't done and that's the problem!) your body WILL burn those carbs.

 

[Mini Horses]

@Trying2keepitReal I've been freezer and canned eating, some of same reasons. Plus saves $ and allows buying other things needed. That's WHY we preserve food. then we buy and not use.... Guilty! I'm trying to condition myself to pantry shop first, always. Looking at what I use most and can grow/produce here. I'll have herbs growing this year to dry, paprika peppers to dry & grind, plus establishing a garlic bed. Love that stuff.

Now, find storage for more empty jars. 🤔 not a bad problem to have!

eta...meats are not hard. Takes longer in canner and only use pressure canner.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

I have done many things without any experience. But none of it could give me botulism! 🤣🤣

 

[flowerbug]

I would be in doubt all the time! 🤣🤣 my mom made botulism seem much more prevalent than it probably is.

it is all around. that is a fact.

not many people have issues because they are eating cooked foods or foods that have been canned properly or food that have been properly stored and preparred.

the main things to be concerned about with botulism is food acidity. if food is acidic enough botulism bacteria won't survive or grow. the next thing is oxygen. botulism grows best without oxygen.

canning at just boiling temperatures does not kill all the botulism spores in foods it takes a lot more exposure (time) or more heat and pressure to kill them off. that is why pressure cooking is always recommended for low acid foods. meats are low acid foods. potatoes and other common stew things are also not very acidic. the source of many botulism spores and bacteria will be anything grown in the ground or near the ground. so onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots - aka pretty much everything you'd use in a beef stew would be at risk of carrying some spores or bacteria along with them. as long as the food is cooked and then put away in the fridge and not left out that reduces how fast the bacteria can multiply. they are normally not a problem because most people won't store food that's cooked by leaving it in a closed container just sitting out. they'll put it in the fridge and eventually eat it or throw it away once it's been around too long.

the problems happen when people store food that wasn't properly handled or cooked to begin with. once the bacteria are in there they'll grow as long as the conditions are right. low to no oxygen, low acid, not pressure cooked - yeah, i won't eat things like that.

of course sugar and salt are used as preservatives and also drying agents to reduce the habitat for the bacteria. cooked jams with plenty of sugar have the acidity, sugar and high heat to preserve them. now i'm hungry...

 

[baymule]

@lcertuche said this would make a good post for the frugal post so here it is! Zucchini is sure cheaper to buy than apples and easier to raise!

Zucchini Cobbler

It is best to use the really big zucchini, ya' know-the baseball bat sized ones. The crust mix made too much, so I put the extra in a zip loc bag and froze it for the next one. I also tweaked the recipe a little bit. I added twice the amount of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of ginger and a dash of cloves. It made it even more yummy! Ya'll enjoy!

Zucchini Cobbler
FILLING
8 cups Zuc. peeled and seeded use large
2/3 cup lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
Mix and cook until tender and set aside to cool

CRUST
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cup butter or oleo
cinnamon sugar to sprinkle on top

Mix crust till crumbly and pat 1/2 of crust into an oblong baking dish.
Bake that crust for 10 minutes at 375*
Place filling on baked crust and then put other 1/2 of crust mix over filling.
Sprinkle the cinnamon/sugar over top.
Bake at 375* for 30 minutes.

Don't tell them it is zucchini and they will think it is apple....

I even prepared the zucchini and canned it in quart jars for the winter.

 

[Medicine Woman]

I know one thing for sure…. I won’t be running out of toilet paper this year. It took a while to run out of dog food but we finally did need to buy more. If I go to work on the bridge I think I will get a tiny crockpot to bring food to cook there. Gotta get it first.