Food Day Friday: Strawberry PB Smoothies

Did you know that peanut butter and jelly milkshakes were a huge fad in the 1930's? Can you say "Calories!!!"? During my 4th grade homeschooling stint, my mom and I studied the 1930's. For a little fun diversion, we set up a family movie night one Friday evening. We checked out an old fashioned projector and several reels of film from the library. We whipped up some popcorn and dimmed the living room lights. Charlie Chaplin and Fred Astaire lit up the blank living room wall in black and white. The slapstick comedy was totally funny to my elementary brain. Some of the moving pictures even had sound! And then there were the peanut butter and jelly milkshakes... We enjoyed those shakes, and I've often thought of them since. This morning, since we are out of eggs and I didn't plan ahead to soak any grains, it was a smoothie breakfast. It is also a swimming lessons day, so we need protein! No eggs to throw in? Enter peanut butter!

We all really enjoyed this recipe, and I think it would make a fantastic after school snack. Or maybe it would do well frozen as Popsicles for a hot summer afternoon.

Strawberry PB Smoothies

1 c. raw whole milk

1 c. plain kefir

1/2 c. natural smooth peanut butter

1 T. ground flax seeds

16 frozen strawberries

1/2 t. vanilla extract

optional sweetener to taste (stevia, raw honey, maple syrup, sucanat - I used stevia)

Throw it all in a blender, mix it up, and enjoy! This recipe seems like it would survive lots of different substitutions, so have fun and try something new :). Serves 4.

(frozen strawberries and flax meal)

I like this as a nourishing breakfast because, among other things, it supplies lots of the following: fiber, Omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, vitamin D, probiotics, and protein. Happy Healthy Eating!

Food Day Friday: When Frugal is Top Dog

(spare me the examination of my dishpan hands. Also, I already knew that I had blue pen on my fingers. Thanks for keeping me in the light!)

I recently got an email from a friend (you know who you are!) who said, "I need to be inspired again to live frugally and also how to keep living in a smaller home... I would love to get together and see how you're doing."

She stole the words right out of my mouth! Also, two follow-up comments:

1. Aren't we all trying to have it all on a budget that can't afford it all?!?

2. Even those who live in modest homes come to our house and magically feel like they own a mansion. And we're happy (sort of) to provide that service to any of you!

I was actually thinking about frugality in the kitchen this week, so here's one small way that I am pinching pennies: Cake mixes. And not just any cake mixes, the Holiday Funfetti cake mixes that were $.11 each after Christmas. I also grabbed several cans of premixed frosting (retro 70's green) for $.17 each. I thought to myself that I must, must, must (!) be able to find something to do with these for that price.

Now, I have to suspend my cake mix excitement for just a moment and offer this disclaimer. It is abnormal for us to eat boxed food. I don't recommend it. I don't like it. I'll go so far as to say, I loathe it. But, how many times have you been asked to bring a dessert or bars or cookies to some event? More than likely, you will bring your offering and never see it's ugly mug again. More than likely, you are feeding hoards of starving pubescent boys that don't care one bit about the ingredient list. They're the ones who hover around the potluck table and take several pieces of dessert in each hand, inhaling them before you can say, "Artificial food coloring" three times fast. This is the cake mix's moment to shine!

Personally, I'm saving my meager grocery budget to be spent on real food for more intimate hospitality or my own family's consumption. I'm not trying to be selfish or set a double standard here, it's just that age old balancing act- quality vs. cost. Let's face it, dessert ingredients can be quite expensive: real cream, butter, chocolate, berries, nuts, cream cheese... not the most frugal of characters. Sure, I love to splurge on them for a birthday party or a special night with friends, but not. the. potluck.

And, as it turns out the cake mixes have come in handy often! The whole "funfetti" thing has not been a hindrance since I just omit those little red and green Christmas trees. Without the funfetti, I'm left with a white cake mix that has become many things: Superbowl party cupcakes (frosted in the retro green with piped white goal posts), baby shower cupcakes (I dyed them blue and pink with contrasting frosting... gender confusion), peach dump cake, and tonight cake balls. The cake balls were especially satisfying to me because I used both the cake mix and the premixed frosting in one sitting- the green frosting easily translated to St. Patrick's day. Apparently people really like cake balls, and Eva and Hope really like to help make them. But here's my dirty little secret- I think they're kinda gross. Personal preferences aside, refreshments for Arts Night at church were something out of the ordinary and really easy on the budget.

So, that's my frugal dessert tip, friends! Watch for cheap cake mixes (couponing or after Easter) and be a little creative.

Friday Food-day: Two Quick Cheats

Eric and I were on an soccer team together at an FCA retreat in college. Our motto, which we shouted loudly and frequently, was "You've got to CHEAT to win!" The catchy little line was followed by an even catchier (dorkier???) clapping rhythm. College, now those were the days...

Anyway, I do believe in cheating occasionally, and snacks, treats, and convenience foods can be areas that see a lot of "cheating" if you're trying to stick to a real food, nourishing diet. So, based on last weekend's snack cravings, here are two of my winning cheats.

1. Hot cocoa made with coconut milk. I found this great, basically healthy, cocoa mix recipe here. BUT at our house last weekend, we had Swiss Miss in the big blue container on hand. So, in order to improve the value some, I heated up 1 part canned coconut milk and one part organic whole milk. We dumped in a few heaping teaspoons of cocoa mix and voila! The resulting cocoa was really rich, creamy, with a delicious hint of coconut. It was also loaded with beneficial medium chain fatty acids found in coconut products. Score!

2. Cheesy popcorn made with nutritional yeast. I think our usual popcorn recipe is nutritionally satisfactory and delicious, but with "cheesy popcorn" I faked the girls out while simultaneously maximizing the health benefits. If you're not familiar with nutritional yeast, it comes in a few different forms (we have a powder) and has a definite cheesy, slightly nutty flavor. Esther will eat it mixed into just about anything, but the older girls are sometimes a bit suspicious. Nutritional yeast packs a powerhouse of vitamins and minerals including a high level of B vitamins and protein. To make my popcorn, I use organic, non-GMO, yellow corn popped in a bit of olive oil or coconut oil, drizzled with melted butter. This time, I also generously sprinkled one big bowl of popcorn with about 3 T. of nutritional yeast. The girls loved munching it as they watched The Swan Princess, and I loved the added B vitamins and protein. Double score!

Now, I know I'm not the only cheater out there... if you have any other tips, I'd love to hear your comments on how you "cheat to win" (including an audio clip of your hokey hand clap is optional...).

How come you never blog anymore???

Because it has been an extremely productive garden year (except for tomatoes).

Because I currently have 18 pie pumpkins on my patio and 30 more in the garden.

Because I have at least 50 lbs. of winter squash "keeping" until winter and twice as much still in the garden.

Because my house smelled like rotting tomatoes for a whole week before I remembered the huge bag of tomatoes hiding in the corner.

Because our diet consists of a variety of simple, semi convenience foods and every possible combination of vegetable side dishes.

Because there are 30 pounds of beets in the aforementioned corner of the kitchen now. And a whole 'nother row still in the garden.

Because our breakfasts are ALWAYS accompanied by fresh carrot/apple/beet juice and I cannot fathom the idea of keeping the pulp for baking purposes.

Because potatoes are my new favorite vegetable. They KEEP for a long time!

Because I have served apples in every possible manner: pie, cake, muffins, sauce, butter, from the hand, with carmel, cider...

Because one entire produce drawer in the refrigerator is filled with Anaheim *HOT* peppers. Must make jelly?

Because my fingers and fingernails are permanently stained by beet juice and dirt.

Because my kitchen floor is nothing short of disgusting, layer upon layer of sticky squished tomatoes, carrots, summer squash, and more spotting the floor. If you love me, you will come and scrub my kitchen floor!

Because I am living on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Half of the time I am in a frenzy of chopping, dicing, canning, and freezing. The rest of the time I am in the fetal position, crying for my mommy to come and please tell me what to do next.

with love from my "fragrant" kitchen,
Becca

PS)although it may not sound like it, I love fall. The weather, the produce, the leaves, the fires.

PPS)If this sounds like a lot of vegetables, just remember this is only 1/3 of the booty. We had a cooperative garden this year and divided everything equally. Holy pile o' produce!

Maybe I'm pregnant???

Doubtful, truly doubtful. BUT, I've indulged in some unusual pleasures today that might make one wonder.

1) Coffee. I made a whole pot for myself. Of course, I can't drink more than one cup (and it takes me all day) without getting an upset stomach... thanks to all the years of completely avoiding caffeine... still coffee was delicious today.

2) Teddy Grahams. Our elderly neighbor gave Eva a whole unopened bag of them this afternoon. I took the liberty of opening them while the girls were ALL napping (a rare occurrence), and they compliment a sip of coffee very well. I've never had more than one or two of them since I've never actually bought them, but they're yummy!

3) Vanilla Bean Ice Cream. We had some friends living with us last week who love ice cream (shout out to the Thompsons!), so Eric instructed me to buy lots of it. After their departure, the only varieties we have left are the unappetizing Mango and the simple, but elegant Vanilla Bean. I strongly recommend you try Vanilla Bean ice cream with a handful of teddy grahams thrown in. It was really a beautiful experience, friends!

Do you think I could market my new creation, coffee-teddy graham-vanilla bean? Cold Stone, anyone?

Stretch-your-budget recipes

This is my favorite frugal recipe combination. This provides dinner for two days, but either recipe is good by itself. An added bonus, both recipes are EASY! Don't fear the cheap recipes; I know these are two of Eric's favorite meals around our house.

Dinner #1 - Honey Baked Chicken

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange in shallow baking pan, skin side up:

One 3 lb. fryer chicken, cut up (or whatever kind of chicken you like or have on hand)

Combine and pour over:

1/3 c. margarine or butter, melted (I will not use margarine for health reasons, but it is cheaper than butter for sure)
1/3 c. honey
2 T. prepared mustard
1 t. salt
1 t. curry powder

Bake 75 minutes for bone-in chicken, basting a few times until chicken is tender and nicely browned. Bake 45 minutes is you're using boneless. Serve over rice.
Serves 6

***In order to get two dinners for the price of one, I usually make extra rice (at least 3 c. cooked) and throw in a little more chicken than the recipe calls for. Unless you have a small family, in which case this recipe will provide leftovers. ***

Dinner #2 - Vietnam Fried Rice

Cook 1 cup rice or have ready 3 cups leftover rice.

Heat in a large skillet:
4 T. cooking oil (I suggest coconut oil or olive oil for health benefits)

Add:
1/4-1/2 lb. any cooked or raw meat, chopped (use your leftover chicken!)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, minced
1 t. salt
1 t. pepper
1 t. sugar
1 T. soy sauce

Stir-fry until meat is tender and hot, about 1-2 minutes. Add:
3 c. cooked rice

Stir-fry 5 minutes. Add:
1 c. leftover or frozen vegetables, such as peas, green beans, carrots, peppers...

Stir well into rice-meat mixture. Just before serving, add:
2 eggs, beaten

Over medium heat, stir carefully through rice until eggs are cooked. Serve piping hot!
Serves 4
_______________________________________________

Both of these recipes, as well as many more are found in the legendary cookbook "More With Less" (subtitled: suggestions by Mennonites on how to eat better and consume less of the world's limited food resources).

About chicken...I don't really believe it is an economical choice when purchased in the grocery store. Moreover, it is probably not the healthiest choice considering the substandard nutrition chickens are given during mass production. However, we often see chicken for half price around here, and I usually stock up. Better yet, we get a few farm raised chickens from our parents and make the most of them!

What are your favorite penny pinching recipes? Do share!

How it happens

So many of you have asked how we did it. That is, spent $100 or so on groceries, etc. in the month of October. I'm going to post our methodology here. Not to puff ourselves up. In fact, you'll find it's just the opposite. In God's providence, our circumstances this month made all the difference. Read on, I'm sure you'll see what I'm talking about.

First, this was the plan: Spend a total of $125 on all flexible expenses such as groceries, miscellaneous needs, dates, clothing, family outings, etc. Check this and this out for more ideas.

We still spent money on our regular bills (electricity, mortgage, etc.), gas for the vehicles, tithing, and finishing up the garage project that was started a long time ago.

As it were, I had stocked up on diapers and wipes in September, so we didn't drop any cash on those big ticket items.

Dates were great, even though they were penniless. We went on a great walk one evening, and I can't remember what else we did. Probably walk more.

We participate in the WIC program in Minnesota, which means we get a lot of basic foods for free. Milk, cheese, cereal, beans, carrots, tuna, eggs, juice are not part of our regular spending.

We were blessed by the generosity of others. As long as the gardens are producing, we are thankful to usually be on the receiving end of great organic produce. Here is a list of the hand-me-down produce from Eric's dad and my parents this month:

• 1/2 bushell apples
• 20 pounds potatoes
• 7 dozen eggs
• At least 10 lbs. of tomatoes
• Many, many peppers of all varieties (aren't they breath-taking?!?)
• A small cooler of beets
• 5 lbs. carrots
• 10 or so cucumbers
• 4 Buttercup squash
• 1 lb. fresh-ground Spelt flour

As I do every fall, I spent a considerable amount of time freezing everything we couldn't use right away. There is no way we could eat up all of this in a few weeks time!

There were other gestures of generosity this month as well. Eric's Aunt Phyllis brought us a jar of her delicious strawberry freezer jam, Eric's mom bought us another jar of jam- raspberry jalapeno...it's really good. Usually one small jar of jam wouldn't be a big deal, but it enabled us to make quite a few PB&J's (well, Almondbutter&J's)! Last Friday night I went out with a group of girl friends, expecting to pay for my meal with the debit card. But a kind, thoughtful husband of one of the ladies paid for all of our meals! Lastly, we received two bags of hand-me-down clothes for Eva, including a pair of shoes that she is wearing a ton.

As you can see, God made it easy to keep to a minuscule budget this month. But friends (and family), this is not unusual. This is God's character. He is always providing, always showering us with much more than we deserve! It builds my faith to try something like this. You see, we were never really in need. We could've decided to ditch the plan at any point and go back to spending as usual. So, the message seems to be: God provides when you play around with your budget, He will surely provide when you really need it. I am full of faith for the future, no matter what it might hold. Yes, our fruit basket hung empty more than once, but only because I didn't have time to run to Aldi.

Over lunch

I try to feed our family well in an old-fashioned, natural kind of way, as I believe God intended (brave statement, eh?). This month I cannot say that we're eating exactly as God intended, but rather as WIC intended...lots of eggs, cheese, milk, beans, cold cereal, tuna, carrots, juice. Not all bad things, just maybe in the wrong combinations. I must add, it is a goal to eat well, and sometimes we make other choices. And that's OK too. Anyway, today at lunch I was making a pitch for leftover split pea soup (see previous post). The resident 3 year old was suggesting canned refried beans with shredded cheese, melted in the microwave. My sales pitch involved the words vitamins, fiber, minerals, healthy & strong, nutritious.

Eva stops me at nutritious, "Mom, I don't think I like that word."

Ham! It's what's for dinner

This is a frugal month. Sorry I haven't been very faithful in updating on our budget challenge. I will probably post more later, but I'll say this much- it's going well! If Y2K every materializes, come to our house. I'm discovering that my meager stores of food will last for a long, long time. The groceries part of my $100 has gone very well...other areas have been a little trickier. More on that later, I hope.

One of the reasons the food goes so far, is that I am trying to stretch meat. Long considered the most expensive component to any grocery budget, we've been eating meat in moderation this month. In general, we've been eating everything in moderation with a little less variety. Guess what! Everyone is still nourished and still happy...hmmmm, food for thought.

Another reason the the food is lasting, is the generosity of others. Our family has always been the happy recipient of hand-me-down food, but this month I have really noticed the quantity. One example, the Christmas ham. Eric's Grandma gave us a nice ham for Christmas last year. Now, typically I shy away from serving pork, but ham is tasty and we have a lot of it. I baked it up a week or more ago, and here's a short list of the dinners we've had from this 8 lb. ham.

1. Ham w/ mustard sauce, mashed potatoes, carrot sticks
2. Black bean soup w/ ham, fresh bread, apples
3. Egg bake w/ cubed ham, orange juice
4. Split pea soup w/ ham, apples, red bell pepper slices
5. Ham slices, roasted beets, carrot sticks, spelt bread (a recipe that was NOT a keeper!)
6. Omelets w/ ham, green pepper, & onion, waffles
7. Vietnamese fried rice (w/ ham & chicken, veggies), apples
8. ***the last ham meal, coming up tomorrow night**** Loaded baked potatoes, minus sour cream, but with plenty of ham chunks to make up for it ;).

In case you're wondering, I'm the only one who seems bored with ham. Eric is still hamming it up at the dinner table. (sorry, I just had to find a way to fit that in!)

And I'm accepting any and all new ham recipes. Send them my way!