At coupon night the other night we heard about another site for finding deals--savingwithshellie.com. It's really great. She has the following posted: (the links don't work. You'll have to go to her site for the links)
Meal Planning is a fabulous way to cut expenses. By planning in advance you will reduce your trips to the grocery store. It might help you reduce impulse spending. Plus, you plan to use your leftovers which cuts food waste. And it will give you an answer, every time, for the “What’s for dinner?” question.
Many people don’t meal plan because they think they don’t have time. But spending 30 minutes planning and compiling your shopping list will save you time in the end. Most people just plan a weeks worth of meals. Some plan as many as a month!
To help you start Menu Planning, here are a few resources.
$5 Dinners
Erin cooks dinner for her family every night and the meal never costs more than $5 total. The recipes are healthy and look delicious. We’ve tried a few and have really enjoyed them. She also has a section HERE where you can see the Budget Meal of the Week. She links to other blogs that have cheap meal deals in a given week.
Tammy’s Recipes
This site is chock-full of recipes. Her baking recipes are so so yummy. She has all kinds of things though. I think you’ll really find some favorites here.
Org Junkie
Want lots of Meal Plan options? Every Monday this site has a Mr. Linky that has tons of different people’s menu plans. Many include their recipes so you should be able to find something that works well for your family. Plus, the site creator has her own list of favorite recipes HERE.
Once a Month Mom
These ladies cook meals only once a month! All the meals go in the freezer and keep you from having to cook for a whole month. You likely won’t want to start out with once a month cooking. If you’ve been meal planning for a while and would like a new challenge, this may be for you. Go HERE for more information.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Coupons Anyone!
Today I did a little Target shopping with coupons and ideas from hip2save.blogspot.com. I spent only $4.20 for all the pictured items. Come on Thursday Night at 7:00 at the church to learn more about how to use coupons!!
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Make Yogurt in Your Crockpot
Okay, I haven't tried this yet, but it looks like a good one. It is from: http://bucketideasforpreparedness.blogspot.com/
This is Very Awesome!
Homemade Yogurt in a Crock Pot
--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized.
--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)
--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring--thick bath towel
The Directions
This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor. I used a 4 quart crockpot. Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours. When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine. Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours. In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened--- it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt. Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually. Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch. The Verdict. This is awesome! I was completely astonished the next morning that the yogurt thickened. I was so excited to feel the drag on my spoon. You can add honey for sweetening. This is so much more cost-effective than the little things of yo-baby I was buying. To thicken the best, add one packet of unflavored gelatin to the mix after stirring in the yogurt with active cultures. Some have had good success mixing non-fat milk powder in as well. The way I created fruit-flavored yogurt was by taking a cup or so of the plain and blending it in the stand blender with frozen fruit. Although this tastes great, the yogurt never thickened back up the way the plain did. I think maybe keeping the plain separate and adding fruit daily is your best bet. Or you can try the gelatin trick.
Article found at: Crockpot365. blogspot. com/2008/ 10/you-can- make-yogurt- in-your-crockpot .html
This is Very Awesome!
Homemade Yogurt in a Crock Pot
--8 cups (half-gallon) of whole milk--pasteurized and homogenized is fine, but do NOT use ultra-pasteurized.
--1/2 cup store-bought natural, live/active culture plain yogurt (you need to have a starter. Once you have made your own, you can use that as a starter)
--frozen/fresh fruit for flavoring--thick bath towel
The Directions
This takes a while. Make your yogurt on a weekend day when you are home to monitor. I used a 4 quart crockpot. Plug in your crockpot and turn to low. Add an entire half gallon of milk. Cover and cook on low for 2 1/2 hours. Unplug your crockpot. Leave the cover on, and let it sit for 3 hours. When 3 hours have passed, scoop out 2 cups of the warmish milk and put it in a bowl. Whisk in 1/2 cup of store-bought live/active culture yogurt. Then dump the bowl contents back into the crockpot. Stir to combine. Put the lid back on your crockpot. Keep it unplugged, and wrap a heavy bath towel all the way around the crock for insulation.Go to bed, or let it sit for 8 hours. In the morning, the yogurt will have thickened--- it's not as thick as store-bought yogurt, but has the consistency of low-fat plain yogurt. Blend in batches with your favorite fruit. I did mango, strawberry, and blueberry. When you blend in the fruit, bubbles will form and might bother you. They aren't a big deal, and will settle eventually. Chill in a plastic container(s) in the refrigerator. Your fresh yogurt will last 7-10 days. Save 1/2 cup as a starter to make a new batch. The Verdict. This is awesome! I was completely astonished the next morning that the yogurt thickened. I was so excited to feel the drag on my spoon. You can add honey for sweetening. This is so much more cost-effective than the little things of yo-baby I was buying. To thicken the best, add one packet of unflavored gelatin to the mix after stirring in the yogurt with active cultures. Some have had good success mixing non-fat milk powder in as well. The way I created fruit-flavored yogurt was by taking a cup or so of the plain and blending it in the stand blender with frozen fruit. Although this tastes great, the yogurt never thickened back up the way the plain did. I think maybe keeping the plain separate and adding fruit daily is your best bet. Or you can try the gelatin trick.
Article found at: Crockpot365. blogspot. com/2008/ 10/you-can- make-yogurt- in-your-crockpot .html
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Bithell Farms Berries - Now Taking Orders
Berry Ordering Time Is Here Again!
Bithell Farms is taking orders for their summer berries and Marie will be putting together our group order.
Orders and money are due no later than:
June 15, 2009
Click on the picture for a larger view of their products and pricing.
Everything comes frozen - so be sure to make room in your deep freezer.*Update* Puree's and Individually Quick Frozen Fruit come in 14 pound quantities. The puree comes in a bucket, the fruit in bags within a box. Jam comes in 1 lb containers - 12 to a case. The Jam gift pack comes with 6 different james in 10 ounce containers.
Email or call Marie with any questions.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Eggs
Since we are working on storing eggs this month, I thought I'd tell you about a few websites that I found with interesting information:
Egg Storage Chart
http://www.zunibeefarms.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=58
Non-Refrigerated Egg Storage
http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/eggstoragereport.htm
Egg Storage, Nutrition and Safety
http://www.food-storage-info.com/eggstorage.html
Egg Storage Safety Tips
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/EGG+STORAGE+SAFETY+TIPS.(FOOD)-a083861636
These are just ideas. You can read for yourself what is out there. I suggest trying a method or two, just so you know how they work. A big part of preparedness is the knowledge of how to do something!!
Egg Storage Chart
http://www.zunibeefarms.com/home/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=68&Itemid=58
Non-Refrigerated Egg Storage
http://www.alpharubicon.com/primitive/eggstoragereport.htm
Egg Storage, Nutrition and Safety
http://www.food-storage-info.com/eggstorage.html
Egg Storage Safety Tips
http://www.thefreelibrary.com/EGG+STORAGE+SAFETY+TIPS.(FOOD)-a083861636
These are just ideas. You can read for yourself what is out there. I suggest trying a method or two, just so you know how they work. A big part of preparedness is the knowledge of how to do something!!
May Monthly Goal
Fill out Ingredients Chart for your 16 recipes.
Try one new recipe (if you added some new ones)
Purchase supplies for 12 meals. Suggestion: purchase for a variety of meals so that you have a variety in your food storage.
Learn to make jam.
Purchase powdered eggs or learn to store long-term.
Try one new recipe (if you added some new ones)
Purchase supplies for 12 meals. Suggestion: purchase for a variety of meals so that you have a variety in your food storage.
Learn to make jam.
Purchase powdered eggs or learn to store long-term.
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