Frugal Living

cheap ways to stay organized

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 15:11:00 +0000

This idea is from a great article I noticed today: 10 cheap ways to stay organized. I love this idea to keep things organized at the entryway in the winter months. I will try this too for the dog towel I keep at the door now for wet weather.

Small towel bar

Designed to: hang hand or tea towels
Also perfect for: storing scarves and belts in your closet (fasten it to your inside closet door) or winter scarves and umbrellas in a mudroom. With S hooks, a small bar is also a great way to store (and display) bags and backpacks in a teen’s room, utensils in the kitchen; use S hooks to hang them from the bar.

Frugal Veg. Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:44:00 +0000

- The more packaging something has, the more expensive. Instead of buying packages, by the base ingredients and make it yourself. Don't buy salad in a bag, buy lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and separately. Don't buy salad dressings, learn to make your own. Learning to cook instead of buying packaged food saves you money.
- Buy fruits and vegetables in season. Look up online if you're not sure what's in season when, or ask your local grocer. Go to Farmers' Markets.
- Keep a store of dried beans, legumes and chick peas. Use your slowcooker to cook these.
- Look for bulk food stores that sell dry foods in bins, so you can pick exactly how much you want, and not have to pay for lots of packaging.
- Learn to love water, and drink it more than other drinks, if you drink tea then reuse the tea bag.
- Take time out of a day or two in the week to cook something big, and then store it in the freezer to have throughout the week. I used to do this for work lunches, I'd make something big on Sunday, put it in the freezer, and have it in portions during the week.
- Don't buy or eat too many fake meats; they tend to be pricy, and not always good for you. (By this, I mean veggie hotdogs or meatless burgers. Tofu, tempeh are fine.)
-If you have a freezer then make the most of it. Rice can be made into a large batch so you can seperate it down into smaller servings for freezing (pretty much all grains can be done this way). It reheats beautifully and quickly. Frozen veggies are quick, nutritious, cheap and don't need a lot of space to store. Dried beans can also be made up and broken down into smaller batches for freezing (they reheat well, too). When I'm too pressed to cook, I know I can heat up a bit of beans, a bit of rice, toss in some veg and I've got quick nutrition ready to go. It's fast food that's healthier than fast food.
-Make Rice and beans. Try getting a good caribbean recipe. VERY cheap to make, and delicious!
-Soups are great money savers, because they go a long way. Make sure your soups have lots of protein through use of beans and lentils, and rice or small pasta shapes. Learn to cook with spices. You can use the same ingredients and get totally different meals based on what spices you use.

-Buy when things are on sale. Canned beans cannot be matched for convenience - wait for a sale and stock up! Learn how much vegetables cost - wander down the produce isles even when you don't need to get something. Only buy when the prices are low (be sure to check quality on fruit, though - sometimes they drop the price when they need to clear it before it spoils.)
-Don't buy food if you aren't going to eat it before it spoils. Throwing away food is throwing away money.
-Make meals that can be frozen and re-heated, so you can make a lot and save both time and money. It makes convenient dinners or lunches later on, and when you have a convenient meal on hand, you are less likely to splurge and buy that overpriced veggie sandwich for lunch at work.
-Big things you can make are pots of soups/stews, trays of lasagne, batches of burritos. You can freeze all that stuff in single serving bags/containers. It's easy to eat cheap and healthy, just takes some practice.

Cheap college eats

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Tue, 20 Sep 2011 16:37:00 +0000

Veggie Chili over tater tots, steamed broccoli on the side.

Tacos

Lentil vegetable stew.

Grilled vegetable pasta (get cheap seasonal veggies and grill them, throw them in pasta sauce, with some pasta, and there you go!)

Veggie tofu stir fry over rice - buy the frozen mixed veggies for convenience, and also, since they don't spoil, they end up being somewhat cost effective because you don't end up throwing them away. I add to the stir fry any fresh veggies you may have on hand. Vary this by using different sauces.

Burritos or Stuffed peppers (again, cost a lot initially, especially if peppers are not in season - but make a bunch and eat them all week and it evens out.)

Money-Saving Grocery Shopping Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:07:00 +0000

17 Healthy Foods For Under $1

18 Money-Saving Grocery Shopping Tips

Fix It and Forget It
Go to your local library and check out a book or two for crockpots. "Fix it and forget it" is a great book to start with.

Anytime Burritos

Easy Cake Mix Fruit Cobbler

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Mon, 13 Dec 2010 23:06:00 +0000

Easy Cake Mix Apricot Cobbler
I had a can of apricots in my cupboard that I bought before I got sick - so almost 2 years now - to make something. I can't remember what it was and I don't want to make anything to elaborate anyway (I'm still so tired). I had a 99 cent cake mix special in the cupboard and the 1 can of apricots wasn't enough so I added a can of pineapple.

1 can apricots
1 can pineapple pieces, drained
1 yellow cake mix
1 cup melted butter
apricot juice from apricots

Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan. Place spread the apricots and pineapple evenly in bottom of the pan, sprinkle the cake mix over the peaches. Pour the melted butter over the cake mix.
Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min.

Serve with ice cream on the side.

Has anyone tried Chapman's new Hokey Pokey ice cream. We heard about it in line at the grocery store. It's so good.

"Toffee Ice Cream with Chocolatey Covered Sponge Toffee Pieces and a Milk Chocolate Ribbon"

Hokey pokey is a flavour of ice cream, popular in New Zealand and consisting of plain vanilla ice cream with small, solid lumps of sponge toffee - known as "hokey pokey" in New Zealand. The original recipe until around 1980 consisted of solid toffee, but in a marketing change Tip-Top decided to use small balls of sponge toffee instead.

It is the most popular flavour after plain vanilla in New Zealand.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokey_pokey_(ice_cream)

Put Food in the Budget Campaign

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 19:04:00 +0000

PUT FOOD IN THE BUDGET TO LAUNCH PROVINCIAL CHALLENGE TO URGE INCREASE IN SOCIAL ASSISTANCE

Sept. 29 /CNW/ - On October 4, 2010 the Put Food in the Budget Campaign will launch a provincial challenge to Ontarians to take part in the Do the Math Challenge.

For three days in early October, thousands of people will live on the contents of a typical food bank hamper. The Put Food in the Budget Campaign aims to urge the Ontario government to take immediate action to address the chronic hunger and poor health experienced by people living on social assistance by introducing a $100 per month Healthy Food Supplement.

WHAT:
Launch of the Put Food in the Budget Campaign Challenge

WHO:
Archbishop Colin Johnson, Anglican Diocese of Toronto
Nadia Edwards, Bread and Bricks Davenport West Social Justice Group
Fred Hahn, President, CUPE Ontario
Diana Stapleton, Chair, Weston Emergency Food Bank

WHERE:
Queen's Park Media Studio
Main Legislative Building
Queen's Park, Toronto

WHEN:
Monday, October 4th at 10:00am

The campaign is sponsored by the Social Planning Network of Ontario and The Stop Community Food Centre and is supported by ACTRA Toronto, Anglican Diocese of Toronto, Association of Ontario Health Centres, CUPE Ontario, OPSEU, Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario, and the Schizophrenia Society of Ontario.

For further information: please visit http://www.putfoodinthebudget.ca/ or contact Kerry Breeze, 416-829-1727; kbreeze@mediastrategy.ca

http://twitter.com/putfoodinbudget

Group Takes Poverty Challenge
Read about their experience here:
http://www.hnhu.org/blog
I just knew that someone would mention something about their Timmie's.

Food Hamper Items
So, what exactly is in these food hampers, you ask?
2 carrots
2 potatoes
1 onion
1 bag of macaroni (900 g) or 1 bag of rice (700-900 g)
1 bag of oatmeal (1 kg) or 1 box of cereal (390-460 g)
1 jar of peanut butter (500 g)
2 cans of green beans, peas or corn (398 ml)
2 cans of tin soup i.e. mushroom, tomato (284 ml)
1 can of brown beans in tomato sauce or plain beans or chick peas (398 ml)
2 small tins of tuna (170 g), chicken, turkey or 3 eggs
1 pound of fresh ground beef
1 package of luncheon meat (175 g)
2 boxes of macaroni and cheese (~200 g)
1 loaf of bread (675 g)
1 can of fruit (398 ml) or 3 fresh fruits
1 bag of powder milk (equivalent to 5 L) or 1 Litre of fluid milk
In addition to the items above, you are allowed to use up to five standard pantry ingredients: vegetable oil, flour, salt, sugar, coffee, tea, margarine, soy sauce, ketchup, garlic, spices but are asked to keep track of the quantity used.

His wife chose not to do it because she's a commuter? What the heck!That is ridiculous! This diet is really not that much of a hardship. It really makes me wonder what exactly these people normally eat that it would be so difficult to go on the "poverty diet" for only 3 days.

If it is so difficult then maybe we should have a challenge for people who are living on the real poverty diet to get a chance to try whatever it is that these people get to eat every day. I know I would love to try it, my own diet isn't that far off from the list (above) at the moment.

The Anglican Diocese of Toronto newspaper article

Archbishop to gov't: do the math

by Murray MacAdam Nov. 2010

While I wholeheartedly agree; $100 increase to social assistance rates is long overdue I cannot believe some of the comments from the parishioners they clearly have no clue what it is like.

"Participants bought their own food, based on typical foodbank hampers."

"I am already missing fresh fruit and vegetables, yogurt and dessert, " said Linda Gilpin, a member of St. Timothy, North Toronto, as she took the 3-day diet. "My big treat of the day is one-third of a tin of peaches, even though fresh peaches would be better. I really don't think I could do it for more than three days. I went on the diet because it is imperative to support the request for a $100 increase to the montly social assistance rates." I can't get over how spoiled these people are.

Another woman reminisces; doing without fresh vegetables, etc. takes me back to the time of my first job when daily lunch consisted of soup and a bun that came in under $1.

"The Rev. Samantha Caravan, assistant curate of Christ Church, Deer Park, Toronto, said the three-day diet generated a lot of conversation at her church, where about 50 people are taking part. Many parishioners are astonished by the idea that people would have to live on such a bland diet for at least several days each month." Seriously?!

Do The Math Challenge Begins at Downtown Mission
Please read the remainder of this important article.

"He wanted to know if I’d participate in a food-related challenge that would highlight the needs of people on social assistance."

Here’s how the basics of the challenge were outlined:

“1) On November 1st, go to your local food bank and buy 3 days worth of food OR purchase the food bank items from the grocery store

- we’ll be doing a launch – likely at the Downtown Mission at 11:00am on Monday – where members of the ‘team’ can get tips from people living in poverty on how to get through the week

2) Try to make the food last for at least 3 days but up to 5 days; share your experience as often as possible with friends, family, networks

3) On November 5th, we’ll be having a wrap-up / debrief event”

We went to The Downtown Mission today, and got our food for the week (5 days). There was a nice group of community leaders and storytellers on-hand, prepared for their information briefing on the challenge.

"When I received my food, I was discouraged. This is what it looked like in the milk crate"
see photo

"Not much to look at. It was particularly discouraging to see the items in the bin, because half of them are the things that sit in my cabinet, uncooked/unused because I don’t know how to serve them. Here’s what they look like spread out on the table"
see photo

Being schooled about how to make our food last, while learning about how difficult it can be.

I sincerely didn’t expect the effect of this challenge to start taking effect so quickly. Maybe on day three. But the hunger started getting to me before we left The Mission. Short speeches about real-life difficulties by some of the food bank users left an indelible mark on how I was approaching this challenge. I was realizing, before I left, that I’ll merely be a poverty tourist through this event…but that by sharing my experience it might change the way we think about the plight of people on social assistance.

Just driving home, the food advertising on billboards had my stomach growling. It was more of the same when I got home and the TV commercials were touting all of their food specials. I can’t believe that the awareness of other people’s food, food waste, and affluent approaches to food were affecting me before I even began eating my challenge-food.

So, my first meal was the clam chowder with a bunch of the soda crackers. It left me hungry, because I couldn’t add a little snack at the end to feel totally full. To stay within the parameters of the food alotted to me, I can’t race through this food, no matter how hungry I get. So the challenge, already, is to be satisfied with less than I’m used to eating at any given meal.

I took a quick photo of Adriano Ciotoli getting a look at his food package, and his face spells the general sentiment of the group taking the challenge. A bit of fear with a bit of disbelief about how to go about successfully completing this challenge

I’ll continue to update about this challenge as often as possible, but I’ll likely be spending most of my time trying to figure out how to prepare this food."

Another point I would like to make; if you happen to burn your food then you have to eat it anyway. That is the reality. You can't just go and order take-out.

Instant coffee is better than nothing, and some of the participants were allowed a few pantry items. Add a bit of powdered milk and water, some sugar if you have it and there you have it a no-frills caffè latte. Or, try an iced latte by pouring it over ice or blending with ice for a frothy drink.
If you happen to have some vanilla extract, cocoa, candy canes(crushed), orange peels or anything else that might add a bit of flavour try it for a no-frills cappuccino. Even cinnamon or a chai tea bag will add a bit of flavour.

Link to a man (Hugh Rees) in Oshawa, ON who relies on the food bank to feed himself. Also a "Do the Math" update.

I hope this exercise was a learning lesson for many. As I read through the blogs I just couldn't believe that people couldn't forgo their "Timmie's" for only a few days. I wouldn't consider that a 'luxury' -to them- as one blogger put it, a 'luxury' coffee would be a drink at a real cafe.

Making tough choices is the frank reality here. It is depressing and it brings down the human spirit.

Homemade Pancake Syrup

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:04:00 +0000

Homemade Maple Syrup

3 cups white sugar

3 cups sugar

3 cups brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup

2 cups boiling water

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp maple flavouring

Combine first 4 ingredients, bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.

Cook 3 minutes. Make sure sugar is dissolved.

Add flavourings. Let cool 10 minutes.

Pour into jars it will thicken to proper consistency.

This really tastes almost exactly like the real thing!

Stuffed Peppers

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 15:46:00 +0000

Stuffed Peppers
I had a few small containers of leftover rice in the freezer, so I thawed them in a colander under running water. Let it drain while you saute the onions.

1/2 small onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced or 1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 bay leaf
a dash of hot pepper flakes, to taste
3 cups (approx) leftover rice (mine had some wild rice, which tastes very nice in this dish)
1 cup tomato sauce (Primo) or 1 cup canned tomatoes

3 tbsp veg. chicken bouillion powder
black pepper and salt, to taste
4-5 bell peppers, hollowed out

Saute onions, garlic and bay leaf in olive oil until soft. Add the hot pepper flakes and saute a minute. Then add in the rest of the ingredients cook until heated through.

Spoon into bell peppers, put lids back on them and bake in 350 F oven for about 45 minutes.

Notes: I didn't have enough peppers so I sliced a cucumber in half and spread the rice on top, then I sliced up a tomato to spread on top.
You could add TVP or tempeh for a bit of added protein if you like.
These could easily be made in a crockpot.

Learn more about the problem of hunger in Canada

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 14:56:00 +0000

Learn more about the problem of hunger in Canada
Food Banks Canada is proud of its comprehensive research into food banks and food bank use in Canada. As a charitable organization, we are fortunate to have members and donors who support our public education and research efforts. All of our reports and surveys share the goal of reducing hunger in Canada.

In Canada, hunger is largely a hidden problem. Many Canadians are simply not aware that large numbers of children, women and men in this country often go to bed hungry.

Who is Hungry in Canada?

While anyone is at risk of food insecurity at some point in their lives, certain groups are particularly vulnerable:

Working Poor
People with jobs constitute the second largest group of food bank clients, at 13.6%. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of food bank clients with jobs are employed at low wages. The expansion of the low-wage economy has generated more working poor who, even with full-time jobs, are unable to meet basic needs for themselves and their families.

Children
Children continue to be over-represented among food bank recipients in Canada. This year, 37.2% of food bank clients were under 18. Child poverty is now at the same level seen in 1989, the year when the federal government made an all-party resolution to end child poverty. Child poverty is directly tied to the level of household income. Among households accessing food banks, families with children make up more than 50% of recipients.

Rural Dwellers
Despite the fact that many of Canada's rural communities are located in prime agricultural areas, hunger is a reality for tens of thousands of the nation's rural residents. About half of the food banks participating in HungerCount 2008 are located in rural communities (defined as having populations of fewer than 10,000 people).

Persons With Disabilities
Those receiving disability income supports have made up the third largest group of food bank clients in the last five years, according to successive HungerCount surveys. It is just one more example of the broader problem of inadequate social assistance in Canada. Disability support is clearly not enough to help clients provide for themselves. If current disability programs and rates do not improve we expect to see a rise in food insecurity among this demographic, since Canada has a rapidly aging society and life expectancy is increasing.

Seniors
Seniors accessing food banks across Canada is a sad reality. HungerCount 2009 reports that seniors accounted for 5.5% of food bank clients in a typical month.

Single Parent Families
The single parent family is still one of Canada's most economically vulnerable groups. It is likely that many of the single parent households assisted by food banks (25% of the total), as reported in HungerCount 2009, are women: according to Statistics Canada, 80% of single-parent families are headed by women.

Recipients of Social Assistance
People receiving social assistance as their primary source of income continue to make up the largest group of food bank clients. This year, 51.5% of those assisted by food bank in Canada were receiving social assistance. This suggests that welfare rates in Canada do not do enough to ensure food security for low-income Canadians. According to the National Council of Welfare, welfare rates across Canada continue to fall below Statistics Canada Low Income Cut-Offs.

(full article from above website)

Spicy Rice and Beans

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 19:23:00 +0000

Spicy Rice and Beans

1 box Rice-A-Roni, Spanish Rice flavor

1 can Rotel tomatoes, any variety

15 oz. can black beans

Cook rice according to box directions, using the Rotel and adding an additional 1/4 cup water. Rinse beans, heat and serve over cooked rice. Serves 6.

Some ways to use up that old can of fruit cocktail that is still sitting in your cupboard.

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:37:00 +0000

Fruit Cocktail Pancakes

2 cups complete pancake mix
1 cup water
1/2 cup liquid drained from fruit
1/2 cup fruit cocktail, peaches, pears or apricots, drained and chopped

Make as you would normally.

4 servings.

FRUIT COCKTAIL LOAF CAKE

1 large can fruit cocktail, including the juice

2 cups sugar

3 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 eggs

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, the sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon and baking soda.

Beat the eggs in a separate bowl, then add to the flour mixture.

Beat the egg and flour mixture until all of the ingredients are well integrated.

Last, add the fruit cocktail and its juice, stir in by hand until the juice is well mixed in.

This recipe makes 2 loaves. Divide the mixture into two well-greased loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees.

Ovens vary in cooking times. These loaf cakes can take anywhere from one hour to an hour and a half. The top will brown, and the best indication I find is that when you begin to smell whatever you're baking, it's time to start checking it.

I sometimes put a line of chopped nuts down the middle of the loaves before baking. That makes a nice finish to them.

I have also used this recipe for other canned fruit. Peaches, chopped, make a nice cake, as does chopped pineapple.

Fruit Cocktail Cake

1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking sodav 1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
14-oz. can fruit cocktail with juice

Beat eggs slightly. Add all ingredients except flour. Then add flour and bake in 9x13-inch greased pan for 45 minutes at 350 F.

Icing: 3/4 cup white sugar 1/2 cup milk 1/2 cup margarine 1 tsp. vanilla (1 tsp. brandy is a superb substitute) Boil all ingredients, except vanilla. Add vanilla, pour over hot cake (makes a lot, but use all of it). Serve with vanilla ice cream. This keeps refrigerated for several days.

I also found this one, I think I'd like to try it with canned pineapple instead.

Hawaiian Fruit Cocktail Cake

Cake:
1 large can of fruit cocktail (regular or tropical), drained
2 cups of sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of macadamia nuts or walnuts, chopped

Mix all ingredients well and bake at 350ºF for 40 minutes in greased and floured 13x9x2 inch pan.

Topping:
2/3 cup of evaporated milk (sm. can)
1 stick of margarine
1 cup of coconut or nuts or 1/2 c. each
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/4 cup of sugar

Place all ingredients in saucepan and stir. Boil 3 minutes; pour over warm cake.

Stainless Steel Drinking Straws

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 18:29:00 +0000

Stainless Steel Drinking Straws

These are such a neat idea. I really like that that are dishwasher-safe too! Although, use with a frozen drink may be risky.

Design and Functionality
RSVP straws are made of polished, high-grade stainless steel, making them a higher-quality version of popular disposable bendy straws. They’re so durable, you can toss one in your bag for drinks on-the-go or pack them in your kids’ lunches. Reusable straws are a practical way to reduce consumption of a common use-and-toss item, and they're a simple first step for anyone who wants to begin incorporating reusables into their daily life.

Sustainability
Each reusable straw saves thousands of plastic ones the landfill. Plus, you won’t waste money buying packages of plastic straws for your home.

Care Instructions
Dishwasher safe. Use a pipe cleaner to thoroughly clean the inside of the straw.

No-Bake Cocoa Peanut Butter Balls

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Mon, 15 Mar 2010 16:39:00 +0000

Scout wins honor with food-bank recipes

By Kate Leeper, The Oregonian
September 02, 2008
Nutritious, inexpensive foods were Mary Catherine Muniz's priority for her booklet "Delectable Dishes For Less".

"This summer, the 18-year-old spent close to 70 hours collecting and testing recipes built around canned tuna, beans, potatoes and other inexpensive staples distributed by her local food bank."

Food pantry cookbook

I'm planning to try the Taco Soup, Next-Day Soup, and Apple Crisp.

I did try the Logger No-Bake Cookies

These are yummy! A great way to help use up that new peanut butter that you bought that no one liked.

2 cups white sugar

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup butter

4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (I used less)

2/3 cup peanut butter

1 cup coconut

Bring the sugar, milk, butter and cocoa to a full boil and boil for 1 minute. Make sure to stir constantly. Take off heat. Mix in vanilla, oatmeal, peanut butter and coconut. Drop small spoonfuls onto wax paper, let cool until firm. Enjoy!

Makes 2 dozen.

Thrifty Breadcrumb Pancakes

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:54:00 +0000

These are so yummy, they taste a bit like french toast.

I had some really dry french bread that I couldn't even turn into french toast, but after soaking in sour milk overnight the bread completely softens.

Just mix everything together with a fork, it's so easy.

This is what they look like cooking.

Breadcrumb Pancakes

This recipe is from the 'Notes from Laurel's Kitchen' column from back in the 80's.

1 cup homemade breadcrumbs (not store bought)
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 egg
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Soak crumbs sugar and milk several hours or overnight.
Mix in the eggs. Add flour and soda and combine.
Make pancakes.

I had more bread than that so I had to add a little more milk (and flour) to the recipe and I just tore (crushed) the bread up into small pieces. (It would have been alot easier to just put the bread into a food processor or blender to make breadcrumbs.)

TVP Meatballs

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 17:25:00 +0000

1 cup TVP granules
1 cup boiling water mixed with vegetarian beef boullion (1/2 a cube)
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1 egg, lightly beaten
pinch each garlic powder and black pepper

Let TVP and water mixture sit for 1/2 hour.

Combine ingredients, mix well and shape into 1-inch balls. Arrange evenly in a greased pan. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Turning halfway.

I'm looking for more TVP recipes these days, with the price of food going up and Yves ground round going up by 49 cents a package, wasn't it pricey enough in the first place?

I was thinking that I might half the package with TVP next time I make chili or Tacos with it, see it that works?

Keep those hotel soaps.

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:50:00 +0000

Don't think you have a use for those hotel hand soaps?

Think again, they make great hand soaps for your bathroom at home.

How to keep your squash/pumpkin from spoiling.

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 19:32:00 +0000

Freeze the squash/pumpkin halves and take them out for a meal anytime throughout the winter. They won't go bad on your kitchen floor before you get around to cooking them. I had 3 of mine do this already, I hadn't even had them very long. Usually I can keep them a couple of months and then if they're still around I'll cook them up and freeze them.

Directions:
half squash, take out the seeds and stringy bits
place cut side down on a greased pan.
Cook at 350-375F until tender.
Take them out, let cool.
Put 2 halves in each container or plastic bag and freeze.

To Reheat:
Place halves in a greased casserole dish.
Place in 375F oven until heated through.
Sprinkle each half with brown sugar and a pat of butter.
Serve. Season with salt and pepper.

You can even make Roasted Pumpkin seeds.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

raw pumpkin seeds
vegetable oil
salt

Rinse pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. (This is easiest just after you've removed the seeds from the pumpkin, before the pulp has dried.)

Place the pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a baking sheet, drizzle with vegetable oil, stir to coat.

Sprinkle with salt and bake at 325 degrees F until toasted, about 25 minutes, checking and stirring after every 10 minutes.

These are best eaten warm.

More Frugal Food Ideas

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:53:00 +0000

- The more packaging something has, the more expensive. Instead of buying packages, by the base ingredients and make it yourself. Don't buy salad bags, buy lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and whatever else you put in a salad. Don't buy dressings, learn to make your own. Being able to cook instead of buying pre-packaged saves you money.

- Buy fruits and vegetables in season. Look up online if you're not sure what's in season when, or ask your local grocer. Go to a Farmers' Market.

- Keep a store of dried beans, legumes and chick peas. Cook in your crockpot and freeze in small containers for later use.

- Look for bulk food stores that sell dry foods in bins, so you can pick exactly how much you want, and not have to pay for lots of packaging.

- Learn to love water, and drink it more than other drinks, if you drink tea than re-use the tea bag.

- Take time out of a day or two in the week to cook something big, and then store it in the fridge/freezer to have throughout the week. I used to do this for work food, I'd make something big on Sunday, put it in the freezer, and have it in portions for lunches at work.

-If you have a freezer then make the most of it. Rice can be made into a large batches so you can separate it into smaller servings for freezing (pretty much all grains can be done this way). It reheats beautifully and quickly. Frozen veggies are quick, nutritious, cheap and don't need a lot of space to store. Dried beans can also be made up and broken down into smaller batches for freezing. When I'm too pressed to cook, I know I can heat up a bit of beans, a bit of rice, toss in some veg and I've got quick nutrition ready to go. It's fast food that's healthier than fast food.

-Rice and Peas. Try getting a good Caribbean recipe. VERY cheap to make, and delicious! Eat with baked plantains, which are also pretty cheap!

-Soups are great money savers, because they go a long way. Make sure your soups have lots of protein through use of beans and lentils, and rice or small pasta shapes. Learn to cook with spices. You can use the same ingredients and get totally different meals based on what spices you use.

-Buy when things are on sale. Canned beans cannot be matched for convenience - wait for a sale and stock up! Learn how much vegetables cost - wander down the produce isles even when you don't need to get something. Only buy when the prices are low (be sure to check quality on fruit, though - sometimes they drop the price when they need to clear it before it spoils.)

-Don't buy food if you aren't going to eat it before it spoils. Throwing away food is throwing away money.

-Make meals that can be frozen and re-heated, so you can make a lot and save both time and money. It makes convenient dinners or lunches later on, and when you have a convenient meal on hand, you are less likely to splurge and buy that overpriced veggie sandwich for lunch at work.

-Big things you can make are pots of soups/stews, trays of lasagne, batches of burritos. You can freeze all that stuff in single serving dishwasher-safe containers (for easy clean-up). It's easy to eat cheap and healthy, just takes some practice.

Bring Your Own Plastic Container

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Bring Your Own Plastic Container
The greenest takeout packaging

"I usually bring my lunch to work in recycled yogurt containers. It bothers me to see my co-workers, who eat out, discarding so much trash: plastic clamshells from Caesar salads, Styrofoam pho containers, and cardboard sandwich boxes. Many are conscientious about recycling, but not all containers can be recycled. In any case, as we all know by now, reuse is always better.

Ecoconscious Chowhounds are bringing their own containers to restaurants to hold their takeout food or leftovers. So recently I found myself wondering: Do health and safety codes allow this? And is there a specific type of container restaurants prefer that you bring? I decided to investigate."

Read the rest here.

Also, remember to bring along a reusable bag too, to put it all in.

Frugal Chili

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 22:32:00 +0000

I made this Chili tonight for dinner, the recipe is mostly made up but it turned out wonderfully. A great meal for a cold winter's night, the flour will thicken the chili as it cooks.

Chili

olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp oregano
2-3 tbsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
1 can black beans
1 can romano beans
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes
1 cup granulated TVP & 1 cup water
1 veg. beef boullion cube
salt & pepper, to taste
1/2 cup water mixed with 1 cup flour
Add extra water as needed

Saute onions, green pepper and garlic in oil until tender.

Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook 1/2 an hour or longer. Stir often and keep on a low simmer.

Add extra spices to taste.

Serve with sour cream and chopped green onions over each serving.

Quick and Easy Pizza Dough

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 22:50:00 +0000

This pizza dough is great if you're in a rush and forgot (as I always do) to make some dough ahead of time. The mix of yeast and baking powder makes it possible to have a yeasty pizza dough in an amazingly short time.

Quick and Easy Pizza

2 1/2 cups flour (1/2 whole wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry active yeast
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil

First prepare the crust. In a medium sized bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt and yeast. Stir it up to distribute the salt and yeast evenly. Add the water and oil. Mix the dough until it forms a big ball in the middle of the bowl. It will be a little stiffer than biscuit dough.

Knead the dough about 10 or 12 times and then form it into a ball. Let sit 10-15 minutes; covered with a clean kitchen towel.

Place the ball in the center of 16-inch pizza pan, or a 9 by 13-inch rectangular pan. Use your hands and a rolling pin, to press the dough into the pan.

After spreading the sauce onto the pizza dough, top it with about 2 cups of shredded mozzarella and a good sprinkling of Parmesan Cheese. If desired, add other toppings of your choice.

Bake the prepared pizza at 400° for about 15 to 20 minutes. Eat and enjoy.

This would be a great pizza dough to use for Calzones or Chili Bombs.

Make your own coffee drinks!

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:54:00 +0000

How to make your own coffee drinks. Check out this post for some tips.

Save a zillion dollars on coffee drinks!

Basically, you get a few bottles together, pour in some coffee to about half the bottle, add a bit of flavoured creamer (in this case Coffee-Mate), then top with milk.

Pop them in the fridge, and you just saved several dollars.

Experiment with different creamer flavours or try adding your own. Substitue vegan creamer and soymilk for a vegan/lactose-free version.

Chocolate-Mint would make a great Christmas-y drink for the holidays and nice addition to Santa's cookie tray.

These Hot Cocoa recipes from whattodrink.com
also look great for the holiday season.

Caribbean Hot Chocolate
Serves: 1

1 1/2 ounces dark rum

1/2 ounce Crème de Cacao

4 ounces hot cocoa

1 ounce whipped cream

Pour all ingredients into an Irish coffee glass. Stir well. Float the whipped cream on top of the drink. Dust with cocoa powder.

HOT BUTTERSCOTCH COCOA

Serves: 1

¾ ounce butterscotch schnapps

¾ ounce coffee liqueur

5 ounces hot cocoa

Mix ingredients in coffee mug, top with whipped cream.

A Frugal fruitcake recipe.

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:31:00 +0000

I'm not a fan of regular fruitcake so this looked a little better to me, plus this looks so easy to make. You could add some maraschino cherries if you like for more of a 'normal' Christmas fruitcake but still keeping on a budget.

Poor Man’s Fruitcake

This was popular during World War II. Butter was rationed, and we could get lard with fewer ration coupons. Notice the absence of eggs.

1 1/2 cups raisins and/or currants*
1/2 cup chopped maraschino cherries, chopped in half, optional
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup lard (shortening, butter or margarine)
1 cup water (or leftover coffee)
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 350 F

Grease and flour one loaf pan.

Heat raisins, currants, maraschino cherries, sugar, shortening, and water 'till sugar dissolves, and shortening melts. Cool. (Add 1 tbsp of rum here if you like)

Whisk together, or sift the dry ingredients. Add dry to wet, stir well.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Wrap and store in a cool place for several days before cutting.

*Soak the dried fruit in brandy or rum ahead if you like.

Notes: I poured a bit of Goslings dark rum on the wax paper that I wrapped the fruitcake in to more evenly distribute the rum. Leave in the fridge for a few days to allow the rum to soak in. Repeat, if you like. This makes a huge difference in the flavour of this cake.

Save money on food by avoiding prepared foods

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:25:00 +0000

Meals made from scratch and fresh food are always cheaper than prepared versions of the same meal.

Have a Thrifty Holiday

noreply@blogger.com (Veggie) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 18:03:00 +0000

How to Have the Thriftiest Holiday Ever!
The Oprah Show

It's Oprah's favorite things…but there's a twist! They cost next to nothing. Then, Cristina Ferrare with step-by-step recipes. Plus, our free holiday gift to you!

Holiday Hits 2008
This year, we've teamed up with some of the biggest names in the music business to create a one-of-a-kind holiday mix. It's our gift to you!

These eight songs can be downloaded free for the next 48 hours. (Starts today!)

Treasure Boxes
"With three of her four kids in college, Connie has had to tighten her belt last holiday season. Instead of purchasing new gifts for her children, she found what money can't buy—years and years of childhood keepsakes. Connie saved everything from a scrap of carpet from her daughter's first bedroom to the letters she wrote home from summer camp. "I just kept throwing it in boxes and filing cabinets," she says. "It was all over the house."

To turn her scattered collection into beautiful mementos for her children, Connie purchased treasure boxes to hold each child's memories. "I wanted it to be a piece of furniture that they'll put on a shelf and keep forever," she says. It took months to put together, but Connie's children were touched when they received their mother's gift. "I'll always remember where I came from and what I am and who I am because of you," her son Jay says."

Hot Chocolate Cones

Garden Gift Baskets
"Tamara plucks her homemade holiday gifts right from her own backyard! "I make salsa, applesauce, spaghetti sauce, spicy green beans and crunchy dill pickles," she says. "So at Christmastime, I make gift baskets for all my family and loved ones.""

12 Dates of Christmas