Save – Page 2 – Oh Lord Help Us

Sloppy, Sloppy

Eat, Save, Stay SaneDecember 5, 2014

Every week I sit down and plan out what meals we will have for the next week, then make out my grocery list. I have a notebook full of these menus, shopping lists, and to-do lists. The other day, as dinner time was quickly approaching, I said out loud, “I guess I should see what we are having for dinner. Looks like…chicken with roasted potatoes and brussel sprouts.” To which my 6 year old replied, “I don’t want that.” Now, I am not one to alter my plans to appease my children. And I usually love that meal. But I had to agree with him, I didn’t want it either. So instead, I made Sloppy Joes! And served it with baked sweet potatoes. It was, as always, a hit!

It’s one of our favorite quick go to meals, and of course it’s super affordable! And everytime I make it I think of Adam Sandler singing Lunchroom Lady Land. I try to sing it for the boys, but they just give me funny looks.

Here is my recipe (I came up with it all on my own!!)

Ingredients:

1-1.5 lb ground beef or turkey

1 chopped onion

12 oz tomato paste

1/2 c water

1/4 c brown sugar

1 Tb red wine vinegar

2 Tb Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp ground mustard

1 tsp salt

Step One:

Brown meat with onion.

Step Two:

Add everything else and stir. Let simmer for 30 minutes.

Serve on buns. Look here for my recipe for homemade hamburger buns.

Here’s the cost breakdown:

Ground turkey (this is what I prefer to use) 2.29

Onion .38

Tomato paste .78

Brown sugar .14

Buns (I bought them this time): 1.49

Total: $5.08 for at least 8 servings. That’s 64 cents a serving!!

Warm Soup and Golden Buns (what you’ll get from me if you ever have a baby)

Eat, Save, Stay SaneNovember 6, 2014

I love my veggie soup. It’s so yummy, so easy, and so inexpensive. It also has no onions, no garlic, no broccoli; so it’s perfect for new moms that may be nursing. There is also enough for leftovers, so the new mom gets two meals out of it.

I made this this past weekend for a family in our church. We were also going over to a friends house for trick or treating and she was making beef stew. So I decided to make some rolls to go with both! This is my hamburger bun recipe, I just didn’t flatten them so they have more of a roll look about them.

First, the veggie soup recipe:

Ingredients:

20 oz package ground turkey

1 jar of spaghetti sauce

4 cups of mixed veggies (frozen or two cans)

1 quart chicken broth

1 tsp salt

Step 1:

Brown the turkey.

Step 2:

Add everything else and let simmer for at least 30 minutes.

See? How easy is that?

Here’s the price breakdown. I got everything at Aldi. I prefer to use frozen veggies, but they didn’t have it, so I used the can version. But they do have organic spaghetti sauce and chicken broth which I love!

Ground turkey $3.29

Spaghetti sauce $1.79

Mixed veggies $1.30 (for 2 cans)

Chicken broth $1.69

Total: $8.07 for 6-8 servings. That’s $1.01-$1.35 a serving!!!

Now for the hamburger buns/rolls:

Ingredients:

1 cup milk

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup butter

4 1/2 cup all purpose flour

2 1/4 tsp yeast

2 Tb honey

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

Step 1:

Heat milk, water, butter in saucepan until butter has melted.

Step 2:

In large bowl mix 1 3/4 cup flour, yeast, and salt.

Step 3:

Mix in milk mixture, egg, and honey.

Step 4:

Add remaining flour and knead until smooth and elastic (about 8 minutes).

Step 5:

Divide into 16 equal parts. Shape into balls and place on greased baking sheet. Leave as balls if you are making rolls, flatten them if you are making hamburger buns. Cover and let rise 30-45 minutes.

Step 6:

Bake 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

Watch out for sneaky husbands!

Here’s the price breakdown:

Milk $.24

Butter $.37

Flour $1.05

Yeast $.31

Honey $.27

Salt $.01

Total: $2.25 for 16 and there is no yoga mat foam in the ingredients. Did you hear about that? Crazies.

Tortillas For All!

Be Healthy, Eat, Save, Stay SaneOctober 29, 2014

This weeks healthy money saving recipe is for tortillas. They are yummy, cheap, and have no soy. Yep, chances are the tortillas you bought at the store have soy. These use olive oil. Much better.

Now, I must be honest. These are not as “flexible” as the tortillas you get at the store. I’m sure this is because it uses olive oil and not lard or soybean oil. We wrap them in a wet paper towel and then warm it up in the microwave and it works fine for quesadillas, fajitas, sandwich wraps, etc.

Ingredients:

3 cup All Purpose Flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/3 cup olive oil

1 cup warm water

Step 1:

Combine flour, salt, and baking powder

Step 2:

Add olive oil and mix with hands until mixture is crumbly

Step 3:

Add water and knead until dough is smooth and forms a ball

Step 4:

Divide into 16 equal parts

Step 5:

Flatten and then roll out

Step 6:

Cook on medium heat approximately 2 minutes a side

Here is the price breakdown:

Flour: $1.07 for Gold Medal Organic or $0.43 for non-organic

Olive Oil: $0.58 for generic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Walmart

Salt: $0.01

Total: $1.02-$1.66 for 16 tortillas

Dating on a Budget: September

Save, Stay SaneSeptember 27, 2014

This month’s edition of “Keeping the Flame Alive” was another successful event. I must admit, I wasn’t really looking forward to it. It felt a little awkward going to watch a high school football game when we don’t know anyone playing, and have no family that goes or has ever gone to this school. Here’s how the evening went down:

After dropping the kiddos off at the Y for Parents Night Out, we had an hour to kill before the game was set to start. We went to a park at the south end of Lake Robinson and thoroughly enjoyed the view and the peaceful tranquility of the moment. It was odd to see such a beautiful lake and not a boat on it. I’m glad we had this quietness, because the rest of the evening was going to be a bit more hectic.

We drove up to the high school what we thought was a little early before the game was to start. Wrong! Oh my word, people take their football so serious here. So many pickup trucks. And they park wherever they feel like it. Walking through the parking lot we could hear the drums telling us that we were late. Hubby says, “I don’t remember there being so much hoopla for football games, do you?” I gasped (thinking to myself, you were homeschooled) and said, “Ummm, we were Number 1 in the state! Yes, there was a lot of hoopla!” And thus began my night of reminiscing.

All the teenagers decked out in their school spirit, with their faces painted. The cheerleaders doing pyramids and running with flags. The marching band and color guard at half time. And of course the football players playing their hearts out. It was so heartwarming. I’ve not ever been one to get sentimental for my past. When it’s time to move on to the next stage of life, I don’t like to look back. Because of this, I don’t share many life stories with my husband. But last night I found myself talking about all these great memories I have of going to football games and then the “fifth quarter” parties our FCA would have afterwards.

Bottom line, this was a good date. We paid $6 a piece to get in and then bought snacks, so a grand total of $16. We cheered when they made a good play, and moaned when it didn’t work out. I look forward to going again, but probably not until my boys go there and we are driving them and their friends.

Mayo Just Ain’t Sexy

Be Healthy, Eat, Save, Stay SaneSeptember 26, 2014

I don’t know how to make this post exciting. It’s about mayonnaise. Some people love it, some people hate it, some people prefer Miracle Whip. I personally prefer mayo, but I’ve been a little disturbed lately about how much soy we consume in our diet. It’s everywhere. And especially in mayo, because it’s made with vegetable oil, also known as soybean oil.

So I thought I would try making my own with olive oil. Ok, people, please listen up and learn from my mistake! DO NOT USE extra virgin olive oil!!! I know it’s better for you, but don’t do it. It’s NASTY!! I had made it before with a different type and it was fine, so I was really confused. After throwing it away, my hubby found an article that explained scientifically why it tasted so bad. I won’t bore you with the science, but pretty much you can’t put extra virgin olive oil in a food processor. So learn from me and don’t waste a cup of olive oil. I use Trader Joes’s olive oil that is part extra virgin, part refined olive oil. Which means it is mostly refined.

Ingredients:

1 cup refined olived oil (not extra virgin)

1 egg yolk

1 Tb white vinegar

1/4 tsp ground mustard

1/4 tsp salt

Step 1:

Combine egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, and salt in food processor and blend.

Step 2:

Gradually add oil. Blend until thick.

The only price breakdown I know on this is for the olive oil. I had the vinegar and mustard and salt, but the cost is miniscule.

Refined Olive Oil: 1.42

Total: approx $1.50 for 8oz of mayo

Keeping the Flame Alive; How to Date on a Budget

Save, Stay SaneAugust 31, 2014September 27, 2014

Once a month my hubby and I are guaranteed a date night, and we look forward to it with great anticipation every time. We have no family where we live and paying for a babysitter can be quite expensive when living on a budget. So every month we sign up for Parents Night Out at our YMCA (you can read about my obsession with the Y here). This way we have about 3 hours of childcare at no additional cost to our monthly membership. Just about every month we would go out to dinner. Which is great fun, don’t get me wrong. But, it kinda gets pricey. And it kinda gets boring. And we have the time restraint of 3 hours. So we have been trying to get creative and save money. Here is a list of 12 dates, one for each month. It’s important to be intentional with spending time with your spouse. Life gets so hectic, with so many things demanding our attention. It’s really easy to neglect the one that you can depend on the most. As we take our dates, I will report back to let you know how it went.

Date #1 Impromptu Picnic (rain optional)

Alright, so our first cheap date was not planned. We dropped off the kiddos and ran an errand, then sat there in the car wondering what to do. We really just wanted to sit and munch and chat and be together. So we went to Trader Joe’s and picked up pitas, hummus, wine (with a screw top), and sweets. We also got a sample cup of coffee so that we had cups to sip our wine out of. Then we sat and wondered where to go. See, it had been pouring rain all day. Not great weather to sit outside. We were willing to sit in the car, but that wan’t ideal. We went to a park with a gazebo, but there was a birthday party happening there. So we travelled to a different park to find a pavilion. First one was taken. Second one was taken. Then we found one that was a bit secluded. Perfect! We sat there under cover, listening to light rain, and thoroughly enjoyed each other’s company while sipping wine out of paper cups.

Total cost for this date: $16.75 (and we took home leftovers)

Date #2: Thrifting and Coffee

This was so much fun! My hubby found a sharp looking, name brand shirt for four bucks, and a DVD for a buck.

At another place we took a stroll down memory lane. I found a cook book that reminded me of one my mother had and used so very often.

Hubby found a series of books that he read as a child.

And we had a great time looking through old albums.

What made this date so special was that even after nearly 14 years of marriage, we were still able to learn something new about each other’s lives.

After thrifting we went to a local coffee shop and listened to live music while chatting over drinks and scones.

Total cost: $8.50 for merchandise, $13 at the the coffee shop

Date #3: Cheer on Local High School Football Team

Date #4: Mini Golf

Date #5: Indoor Rock Climbing

Date #6: Take an Art Class

Date #7: Milkshake and Video Games

Date #8: Crafts and Coffee

Date #9: Planned Picnic

Date #10: Teach Each Other a New Skill

Date #11: Do Something for Someone Else

Date #12: Bike Ride to Ice Cream Shop

If You Don’t Own a Cow…

Save, Stay SaneAugust 22, 2014September 18, 2014

I have been amazed at the price of milk (the price of everything, actually). Every time I go to the grocery the price goes up. And up. And up. One day as I was gawking at the price, I ran into the mom of my sons classmate. We were chit-chatting about kids, school, her (4th) pregnancy, and of course the price of milk. She shared with me that her family goes through 3-4 gallons of milk a week! Holy Udders! I can’t even imagine.

Anyhow, I started thinking about how to make milk go further. I remembered hearing about watering down whole milk. Sounds crazy? Well, I’m not the only one who has thought of this because there are several articles out there about doing this to save money. I mean, it is kinda a rip off, charging the same price for skim milk as whole milk. Come on guys!

So this is what we have started doing. At first my ratio was 2:1 milk to water. I have gradually increased it to 1:1. So essentially I now get my milk for half the cost. YeeHaw!!

You Too, Can Be A Fruit Fly Ninja!

Save, Stay SaneAugust 14, 2014May 24, 2016

I went to a local farm to buy produce. Everything I got was great, and super affordable. All of this for $8.75!!! I will buy my produce there for the rest of the season, for sure.

But there were fruit flies like crazy all over their stuff. I made sure to shoo them all off before putting them in my bag, and then I tied the bag shut, came home and soaked everything. Must have miss some because we are being over run with fruit flies.

It has become a game with the kids and I. My oldest son calls it spanking them. I say that I’m a fruit fly ninja! But there are only so many I can get by sneaking up and smacking them. So we set some traps, and they have worked wonderfully. So, just in case you were wondering, here is how to become fruit fly ninja too:

Fill a plastic cup with a little apple cider vinegar, a little red wine vinegar, and maybe a string off a banana peel if you have one. Cover it with plastic wrap and cut small holes in the top. Set it out and watch them flock to it. It’s disgusting but we have over 25 dead ones in our trap right now.

Please note, this works better if you don’t have little boys constantly wanting to check it out and scaring off the ones getting ready to go inside the trap. Oh well. Here’s my little ninja:

Saving a lot of dough. On your dough.

Eat, Save, Stay SaneAugust 8, 2014September 18, 2014

Here it is. Isn’t it beautiful! This is my go to bread recipe and what we use for sandwiches, toast, and when we need something to put honey on.

Ingredients. Six glorious ingredients (not counting the water), that is all. Check your bread package, how many do you see? Can you pronounce all of them?

3 cups warm water

4.5 tsp active yeast

1/2 cup honey

5 cups bread flour

3 Tb butter melted

2 Tb salt

3.5-4 cups whole wheat flour

In a large mixing bowl, combine yeast and water, add honey and stir.

Add bread flour.

Let rise. (I usually wait until it’s at the rim of the bowl)

Add melted butter and salt. (I use a spatula and make a hole to pour the butter, then mix)

Add 2 cups of whole wheat flour.

Knead in the remaining flour. (Here is where I was messing up. Knead it until it forms a ball and is completely mixed-no dry flour to be found)

Place in buttered bowl, cover with towel and let sit until double. Punch down.

Divide into thirds, place in buttered 9 x 5 loaf pans, cover with towel until double.

Bake 350 for 25 minutes.

Now, let’s talk about ingredients and costs.

The yeast is Fleischmann’s in the jar. It’s more economical than the packets.

The honey is local, and is oh so yummy. It’s not much more than what I was paying at the supermarket.

The bread flour is King Arthur. Gold Medal is a bit cheaper. Pillsbury is even cheaper.

The butter is generic. I would love to use local grass fed. Just haven’t gone there yet.

The salt is Morton’s.

The whole wheat flour I ordered off Amazon. A 25lb bag of organic whole wheat bread flour from a company called Great River.

Here’s the cost for this recipe:

Yeast .63

Honey 1.09

Bread flour 1.17

Butter .28

Salt .04

Whole wheat flour 1.30

Total: $4.51 for 3 loaves!!!

That’s $1.50 a loaf people!!! And you could make it even cheaper by using different brands. That’s up to you!