Do you have an Aldi in your area? If so, do you go there? If not, why?! We do not have an Aldi in our town, but we do have one to the east about an hour in Springfield, MO, one to the north about 45 minutes in Carthage, MO, one to the south about 1 hr and 15 min in Rogers, AR, and we used to have one about 45 minutes away in Joplin but the tornado took it down :( I pray they are rebuilding it? Well, I just checked on their website and it's completed!
I have to wait till I have business to attend to in one of those cities before I can go to Aldi, but I look forward to the times I get to go. Yesterday we went and got some good deals. Pineapples were 99 cents each (big, juicy pineapples!) so we got 21 of them. Sweet potatoes were on sale for .25 a pound a few weeks ago, but now they are .33 a pound (which is still a great price). When we got them last time, I 'wished' I had gotten more because these things are YUMMY! and good for you too. I got 42 pounds this time. Sunkist oranges were 4lbs for $1.50. I only got 24lbs of them because we still have several pounds left from our bulk food order. They wont last long though. Bananas are going for .44/lb right now, which is pathetic if you compare it to a few years ago, but really good if you compare it to right now (.59/lb where we are). During the summer Aldis had cherries for .59 or .69 a pound, I forget which. Either way, it was a great deal. I bought a lot of them. A lot. Blueberries too ... .99 for 12oz. Grapes have been going for less than .80/lb but they just stopped that deal recently. We like grapes. A lot.
We like fruit. We like Aldis. Aldis is a good way to support our fruit habit.
Of course they have other veggies too besides sweet potatoes. Broccoli was less than a dollar a pound yesterday, but during the summer they had that and cauliflower for less than fifty cents a pound. I stocked up; chopped them and froze them all. I don't care much for frozen broccoli or cauliflower, but I really appreciated the price, so I'll just deal with the frozen part. Carrots usually go for .50 a pound, but I've seen them for .25 a pound.
Here is a link to the Aldi store locator. Check it out!!!
And in case you are wondering "wow, what do they do with all that fruit?!" the answer is, we eat it! We eat what we can raw, but then as it starts to get too ripe we freeze it and have it in smoothies.
And sweet potatoes ... I wash them, throw them whole (skins on) into the crock pot and set the heat to high. I let them bake about 3 hours, maybe four depending on the size, and then eat. YUM! The children like to put homemade applesauce (unsweetened) and cinnamon on top. I just like mine plain, but the other stuff tastes good on it too.
p.s. don't forget to bring your own bags and a quarter for the cart deposit!
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Apple/Pear Sauce Pie or Butter & Applesauce pie
The other day we picked a whole lot of pears for free :) We are so thankful for them. Today Brianna and I processed one sack of them ... we turned them into pear butter and just for the fun of it, I made up a pear butter or pear sauce pie. It seems to have turned out real well ... we'll do the taste test later after supper.
Nearly any kind of fruit similar to apples or pears can be used to make fruit butter. We've used apples, pears, peaches, nectarines and probably more with great success. The seasonings are nearly the same and of course adjusted to your taste. I prefer a mixture of spices (mostly cinnamon with a little nutmeg, ginger and cloves) as well as some kind of sweetener (usually a mixture of a little bit of honey or molasses or brown sugar and some stevia) and some kind of extract flavoring (vanilla, orange &/or maple work well). A little lemon juice can be added too.
Cut and core the fruit. I do NOT like to go through all the work of pealing, so I leave the peals on. Put the fruit in a large kettle and add about a cup of water. Cover & simmer till soft (lots of liquid will form). Batch process in a blender to make it smooth. You can stop here, put it in quart jars, process it for 20 minutes and call it apple or pear sauce, or you can move on to the next step and call it apple or pear butter. Pour the batches of blended sauce into a large kettle and add seasonings. Simmer UNCOVERED for several hours till it cooks down and becomes nice and smooth. Stir frequently to prevent burning (4 or more times an hour should do it). Taste it after a few hours and adjust seasonings if needed. When you think it's done, dip out a spoonful and let it plop down on a cool plate ... it should kind of look like a smooth goopy blob ... I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about, right?! Now is a good time to fill your water bath pot and set it to boil. Next you put your fruit butter into pint jars, add the lid and band. Once the water bath pot is boiling, add the jars and bring to a boil again. Cook at a full boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars, let cool.
Ok, so while we were waiting for the apple/pear butter to cook down, I decided to make an apple/pear sauce / butter pie. We were already planning to make two sweet potato pies but then found out we only had enough sweet potatoes for one pie ... that's where the thought of making the pear sauce pie came in. Here is what I put in it:
- 2 1/2c of apple/pear sauce or butter
- 3 eggs
- a little molasses (the fruit butter was sweet enough already, so I added a few tablespoons for flavor)
- 1/4c melted butter
- 1t vanilla
- 1T lemon juice
- 2T flour
Mix all together, pour into an unbaked shell, cook at 350 for an hour or so. Here is a picture ... I don't think the picture turned out well, but the pie sure looks and smells good.
Nearly any kind of fruit similar to apples or pears can be used to make fruit butter. We've used apples, pears, peaches, nectarines and probably more with great success. The seasonings are nearly the same and of course adjusted to your taste. I prefer a mixture of spices (mostly cinnamon with a little nutmeg, ginger and cloves) as well as some kind of sweetener (usually a mixture of a little bit of honey or molasses or brown sugar and some stevia) and some kind of extract flavoring (vanilla, orange &/or maple work well). A little lemon juice can be added too.
Cut and core the fruit. I do NOT like to go through all the work of pealing, so I leave the peals on. Put the fruit in a large kettle and add about a cup of water. Cover & simmer till soft (lots of liquid will form). Batch process in a blender to make it smooth. You can stop here, put it in quart jars, process it for 20 minutes and call it apple or pear sauce, or you can move on to the next step and call it apple or pear butter. Pour the batches of blended sauce into a large kettle and add seasonings. Simmer UNCOVERED for several hours till it cooks down and becomes nice and smooth. Stir frequently to prevent burning (4 or more times an hour should do it). Taste it after a few hours and adjust seasonings if needed. When you think it's done, dip out a spoonful and let it plop down on a cool plate ... it should kind of look like a smooth goopy blob ... I'm sure you know exactly what I'm talking about, right?! Now is a good time to fill your water bath pot and set it to boil. Next you put your fruit butter into pint jars, add the lid and band. Once the water bath pot is boiling, add the jars and bring to a boil again. Cook at a full boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars, let cool.
Ok, so while we were waiting for the apple/pear butter to cook down, I decided to make an apple/pear sauce / butter pie. We were already planning to make two sweet potato pies but then found out we only had enough sweet potatoes for one pie ... that's where the thought of making the pear sauce pie came in. Here is what I put in it:
- 2 1/2c of apple/pear sauce or butter
- 3 eggs
- a little molasses (the fruit butter was sweet enough already, so I added a few tablespoons for flavor)
- 1/4c melted butter
- 1t vanilla
- 1T lemon juice
- 2T flour
Mix all together, pour into an unbaked shell, cook at 350 for an hour or so. Here is a picture ... I don't think the picture turned out well, but the pie sure looks and smells good.
Monday, October 10, 2011
How Low Can You Go?
I challenge everyone to ask yourself "how low can I go?" Here are a few examples of what I mean:
- How low can I turn my heat down? (put on more clothes ... you'd be surprised how low you can turn your heat down)
- What is the smallest amount of [toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc.] that I can use and still feel like it is cleaning properly?
- How much expensive food do I really need? Can I stick to cheaper, more healthier options like rice and beans? [unless it's home raised, meat and dairy products can get very expensive]
- Do I have to have air conditioning? (most in the world do not, and they live in some really hot places)
- Do I have to have hot water in my house? (most in the world do not ... and they seem to get by)
- (if you do have hot water) Do I have to wash my clothes in hot or warm water, or will cold work? Before you use the hot water, ask yourself if you could use warm or cold water instead.
- Do I have to use my dryer, or can I hang clothes outside?
- Do I have to have a closet full of clothes, or can I get by on only a few options?
- Do I have to have convenience foods, or can I make things from scratch at a much lower cost?
- Do we have to go out to eat when we are 'out and about' and hungry? Why not just stop at the grocery store and grab some yummy fruit? It will be cheaper and much healthier.
- Do we have to take vacations? Why not just find something free or nearly free to do that is near by?
These are just a few examples. The list could go on and on. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH YOUR MONEY. If you are a professing follower of the Lord, ask yourself another question, "Do I have to spend this money on ______ or would it be better spent giving it to someone who is in need?" Every dollar spent selfishly on YOU that could have been used to help someone else out is not pleasing to the Lord.
- How low can I turn my heat down? (put on more clothes ... you'd be surprised how low you can turn your heat down)
- What is the smallest amount of [toothpaste, shampoo, soap, etc.] that I can use and still feel like it is cleaning properly?
- How much expensive food do I really need? Can I stick to cheaper, more healthier options like rice and beans? [unless it's home raised, meat and dairy products can get very expensive]
- Do I have to have air conditioning? (most in the world do not, and they live in some really hot places)
- Do I have to have hot water in my house? (most in the world do not ... and they seem to get by)
- (if you do have hot water) Do I have to wash my clothes in hot or warm water, or will cold work? Before you use the hot water, ask yourself if you could use warm or cold water instead.
- Do I have to use my dryer, or can I hang clothes outside?
- Do I have to have a closet full of clothes, or can I get by on only a few options?
- Do I have to have convenience foods, or can I make things from scratch at a much lower cost?
- Do we have to go out to eat when we are 'out and about' and hungry? Why not just stop at the grocery store and grab some yummy fruit? It will be cheaper and much healthier.
- Do we have to take vacations? Why not just find something free or nearly free to do that is near by?
These are just a few examples. The list could go on and on. THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU ARE DOING WITH YOUR MONEY. If you are a professing follower of the Lord, ask yourself another question, "Do I have to spend this money on ______ or would it be better spent giving it to someone who is in need?" Every dollar spent selfishly on YOU that could have been used to help someone else out is not pleasing to the Lord.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
On chores and schedules.
I have always been good at making schedules, even designing spreadsheets, charts and so on, but never good at following through with them. I’d start off with the best intentions, go at it for a while, and then for some reason, at some point things would just slip away. We’d get busy, or something pressing would come up or whatever. There was always something that came in the way.
Not too long ago I devised a cleaning schedule that we all really like and honestly it’s the best one I’ve ever done. My health has had its ups and downs here lately and it’s been a blessing to have this routine in place so things were not being too neglected or overlooked completely when I’m not feeling up to par. It’s been a blessing … so I thought to share it with the blogging world with the hopes of helping others as well.
It all started when I saw some 3x5 chore cards on a sister’s refrigerator … that gave me the idea to try something similar by suited to fit our family. I have one 3x5 card for each day and one 3x5 card for a few things that must be done daily. These cards can have jobs added on to them as things come to mind. There are only a few things I assign to specific people, other than that, we all just pitch in and do what we can. The cards are on the side of the fridge and we try to do the cleaning for the day in the morning to be sure it gets done. If I had younger children I might rotate them through each different job or assign jobs according to ability … but … my children are all nearly adults now so we just pitch in and do all we can each day and things get done.
This first part is written on each day:
- Sweep all public areas
- Keep all rooms picked up
- Weed garden for ~15 minutes each
This next part is unique for each day:
MONDAY:
- Wipe baseboards, tops of windows and doors, and ceiling fans
(while wiping baseboards, the floors around the perimeter of each room get wiped as well; this does a much better job than the mop)
- Dust
- Clean the church
TUESDAY:
- Clean backsplash and cabinet faces in kitchen
- Clean trash can
- Clean refrigerator inside and out (including the top)
WEDNESDAY:
- Organize kitchen cabinets and shelves
- Wipe cabinets and shelves
- Dining room chairs
THURSDAY:
- Organize ALL shelves in the house
- Organize hallway closets
FRIDAY:
- Mop
- Organize living room closet
- Clean the Brother’s bathrooms
SATURDAY:
- Yard work (usually the boy’s job)
- Garage and breezeway (usually the boy’s job)
- Clean church
- Clean tire shop
SUNDAY:
- Organize bedroom closet
- Sweep bedroom (under beds too) and mop as needed
(oftentimes these jobs get done on Saturday)
The other cards we have are one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen and one for the church. These cards break down more specifically what is expected each day and week in these areas. For instance, I expect the bathroom to be swept daily and the surfaces wiped real quick. This could be as simple as taking a piece of toilet paper and quick running it around the rim of the toilet. Brianna has this job and she keeps a cleaning rag in the bathroom to wipe off the sink and uses t.p. to wipe the rim of the toilet. I expect everything in the bathroom to be scrubbed thoroughly once a week.
Where’s the laundry on my list? Well … we do that as needed. I am very careful to keep up on laundry and found it impossible to have a set day or days to do it. I usually go through the whole house and collect all the towels on Friday or Saturday and wash them all together. On Monday I usually have someone gather all the kitchen and cleaning towels from the house and the church and wash them all together. A lot of cleaning towels are usually used each Sunday evening during fellowship time.
Sometimes we skip things … like wiping the baseboards for instance. No one will notice if we skip a week of wiping the baseboards, but they will notice if we skip one day of not sweeping. Sometimes I do things out of order - like the Brother’s bathrooms. If they happen to be around, I will not clean their bathrooms. I wait till they are gone … but just seeing it there on the card reminds me that I must do it that day or soon before or after. If these items are all kept up with regularly, then the time it takes to do them is minimal. A good example: If you hardly ever clean the tops of your windows and doorways, dust will build up and really cake on there and it will take you quite a while to get them clean, however if you do them every week or every other week, all it takes is a quick swipe of a cloth and they are done. If you have a tall child, this is a great job for them I used to strain and have to drag a chair around with me as I went through the house doing this job … and then one day I realized that my oldest son had really sprouted up and all he had to do was simply raise up his arm and his hand was right there at the tops of the doors and windows. This has generally been his job ever since. I’ll include a list of often neglected or overlooked jobs at the end of this post.
I was thinking how there are some jobs that do not need to be done weekly. A few days ago I washed all the curtains in the house – this seems to be a job that might only need to be done 2 or three times a year. So on the day I washed the curtains, I was thinking of putting the ‘once in a while’ stuff on the BACK of the card. I could put “Curtains: Aug. 15th and Feb. 15th” or something like that.
OFTEN NEGLECTED OR OVERLOOKED JOBS:
- The trim on the tops of windows and doors
- Baseboards
- Bathroom fixtures such as behind the toilet, under the sink and the shower head. These items are often left to collect years of dust!
- Ceiling fans and other fans
- Window sills (we leave ours open all summer long and often there is quite the collection of flies if we neglect to clean them out!)
- Cobwebs … these can collect quickly in corners and in various areas on the ceilings and fixtures. A quick run through the house with a broom will take care of them.
- Under the beds and other furniture
- Bathroom and kitchen faucets … did you know they can look good as new with a little bit of scrubbing? Comet and a toothbrush work well for this.
- The base of the toilet – you know … where it’s bolted down to the ground? I like to use toilet paper for this, that way I can just throw it in the toilet and flush it down when I am done.
- The top of the fridge
I’m sure there are more, but that’s what I came up with in a hurry. Maybe you have some ideas to add?
Not too long ago I devised a cleaning schedule that we all really like and honestly it’s the best one I’ve ever done. My health has had its ups and downs here lately and it’s been a blessing to have this routine in place so things were not being too neglected or overlooked completely when I’m not feeling up to par. It’s been a blessing … so I thought to share it with the blogging world with the hopes of helping others as well.
It all started when I saw some 3x5 chore cards on a sister’s refrigerator … that gave me the idea to try something similar by suited to fit our family. I have one 3x5 card for each day and one 3x5 card for a few things that must be done daily. These cards can have jobs added on to them as things come to mind. There are only a few things I assign to specific people, other than that, we all just pitch in and do what we can. The cards are on the side of the fridge and we try to do the cleaning for the day in the morning to be sure it gets done. If I had younger children I might rotate them through each different job or assign jobs according to ability … but … my children are all nearly adults now so we just pitch in and do all we can each day and things get done.
This first part is written on each day:
- Sweep all public areas
- Keep all rooms picked up
- Weed garden for ~15 minutes each
This next part is unique for each day:
MONDAY:
- Wipe baseboards, tops of windows and doors, and ceiling fans
(while wiping baseboards, the floors around the perimeter of each room get wiped as well; this does a much better job than the mop)
- Dust
- Clean the church
TUESDAY:
- Clean backsplash and cabinet faces in kitchen
- Clean trash can
- Clean refrigerator inside and out (including the top)
WEDNESDAY:
- Organize kitchen cabinets and shelves
- Wipe cabinets and shelves
- Dining room chairs
THURSDAY:
- Organize ALL shelves in the house
- Organize hallway closets
FRIDAY:
- Mop
- Organize living room closet
- Clean the Brother’s bathrooms
SATURDAY:
- Yard work (usually the boy’s job)
- Garage and breezeway (usually the boy’s job)
- Clean church
- Clean tire shop
SUNDAY:
- Organize bedroom closet
- Sweep bedroom (under beds too) and mop as needed
(oftentimes these jobs get done on Saturday)
The other cards we have are one for the bathroom, one for the kitchen and one for the church. These cards break down more specifically what is expected each day and week in these areas. For instance, I expect the bathroom to be swept daily and the surfaces wiped real quick. This could be as simple as taking a piece of toilet paper and quick running it around the rim of the toilet. Brianna has this job and she keeps a cleaning rag in the bathroom to wipe off the sink and uses t.p. to wipe the rim of the toilet. I expect everything in the bathroom to be scrubbed thoroughly once a week.
Where’s the laundry on my list? Well … we do that as needed. I am very careful to keep up on laundry and found it impossible to have a set day or days to do it. I usually go through the whole house and collect all the towels on Friday or Saturday and wash them all together. On Monday I usually have someone gather all the kitchen and cleaning towels from the house and the church and wash them all together. A lot of cleaning towels are usually used each Sunday evening during fellowship time.
Sometimes we skip things … like wiping the baseboards for instance. No one will notice if we skip a week of wiping the baseboards, but they will notice if we skip one day of not sweeping. Sometimes I do things out of order - like the Brother’s bathrooms. If they happen to be around, I will not clean their bathrooms. I wait till they are gone … but just seeing it there on the card reminds me that I must do it that day or soon before or after. If these items are all kept up with regularly, then the time it takes to do them is minimal. A good example: If you hardly ever clean the tops of your windows and doorways, dust will build up and really cake on there and it will take you quite a while to get them clean, however if you do them every week or every other week, all it takes is a quick swipe of a cloth and they are done. If you have a tall child, this is a great job for them I used to strain and have to drag a chair around with me as I went through the house doing this job … and then one day I realized that my oldest son had really sprouted up and all he had to do was simply raise up his arm and his hand was right there at the tops of the doors and windows. This has generally been his job ever since. I’ll include a list of often neglected or overlooked jobs at the end of this post.
I was thinking how there are some jobs that do not need to be done weekly. A few days ago I washed all the curtains in the house – this seems to be a job that might only need to be done 2 or three times a year. So on the day I washed the curtains, I was thinking of putting the ‘once in a while’ stuff on the BACK of the card. I could put “Curtains: Aug. 15th and Feb. 15th” or something like that.
OFTEN NEGLECTED OR OVERLOOKED JOBS:
- The trim on the tops of windows and doors
- Baseboards
- Bathroom fixtures such as behind the toilet, under the sink and the shower head. These items are often left to collect years of dust!
- Ceiling fans and other fans
- Window sills (we leave ours open all summer long and often there is quite the collection of flies if we neglect to clean them out!)
- Cobwebs … these can collect quickly in corners and in various areas on the ceilings and fixtures. A quick run through the house with a broom will take care of them.
- Under the beds and other furniture
- Bathroom and kitchen faucets … did you know they can look good as new with a little bit of scrubbing? Comet and a toothbrush work well for this.
- The base of the toilet – you know … where it’s bolted down to the ground? I like to use toilet paper for this, that way I can just throw it in the toilet and flush it down when I am done.
- The top of the fridge
I’m sure there are more, but that’s what I came up with in a hurry. Maybe you have some ideas to add?
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Hot summer days
Blah. It's hot. Hot. Hot. Hot. Praise the Lord. We have had a lot of chances to practice patience, long suffering, endurance, etc.
I cannot remember a time when we've done more laundry. Clothes are soaked through with sweat every day and stink. I am thankful for a washing machine and a laundry line right outside in the back yard. We used to have to walk past the church and across the street :)
The garden is suffering. The crops are suffering. Everything is dying. But, praise the Lord!
By mid-afternoon I am so wiped out that the last thing I want to do is prepare and cook supper. I may only have 3 (nearly adult) children, but I also feed several grown men. It's a blessing :) The last several days I have been preparing supper in the MORNING or at the very latest, preparing it along with lunch. I get everything ready that can be ready and then store it in the fridge. I take it out and cook it whenever it needs to be cooked in order to be done by supper time. It has been a great help to have this done and off my mind long before I start to get too tired to function normal.
Chicken and rice (cp - crockpot), quiche with veggies (cp), lasagna, enchiladas (cp), sweet potato stew stuff (cp), and so on ... all have been ready and waiting for us whenever it's time to eat. What a blessing!
I cannot remember a time when we've done more laundry. Clothes are soaked through with sweat every day and stink. I am thankful for a washing machine and a laundry line right outside in the back yard. We used to have to walk past the church and across the street :)
The garden is suffering. The crops are suffering. Everything is dying. But, praise the Lord!
By mid-afternoon I am so wiped out that the last thing I want to do is prepare and cook supper. I may only have 3 (nearly adult) children, but I also feed several grown men. It's a blessing :) The last several days I have been preparing supper in the MORNING or at the very latest, preparing it along with lunch. I get everything ready that can be ready and then store it in the fridge. I take it out and cook it whenever it needs to be cooked in order to be done by supper time. It has been a great help to have this done and off my mind long before I start to get too tired to function normal.
Chicken and rice (cp - crockpot), quiche with veggies (cp), lasagna, enchiladas (cp), sweet potato stew stuff (cp), and so on ... all have been ready and waiting for us whenever it's time to eat. What a blessing!
Thursday, May 12, 2011
How To Make Butter (using raw cream or not)
Start with about 1 - 1 1/2qts of raw cream. (I have heard that heavy whipping cream from the store can be used, though I have never tried it.) Put the cream in a large mixing bowl and beat it with an electric mixer on high till you see some butter forming. It will look like whipped cream at first (because that is what it is!!) but if you keep beating it, it will soon start to separate ... it will no longer be fluffy.
Here it looks fluffy like whipped cream.
Right when you see it start to change (see picture below - it will no longer be so fluffy like whipped cream), turn the beater speed down to the lowest speed it has. Scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
As the milk separates out, it will splash up more and more. If you do not have a protection shield for your beater/mixer, hold up a towel or something else to protect you and your surroundings from having a shower of milk.
Here are a few more pictures as it progresses along.
After a while you'll notice it is not changing much. Dump the milk into a jar to save it (this is buttermilk ... great in pancakes, cakes, or whatever). Continue beating on low a little longer to get more milk out; pour off the milk and save.
Now you must wash the butter. Add about as much cold water to the butter as was buttermilk. Beat on low for a bit. Drain. Repeat.
All washed and ready to go. Next beat in some salt. Start with 1t and add more if desired.
The final step is pressing as much water out of it as you can. It works good to kept the butter in the mixing bowl and smash it over and over again against the side of the bowl while tipping the bowl at an angle so the water can drain down. Every so often you'll want to dump the water out so you can see how much new water is pooling.
Press the finished butter into a form or bowl of some kind, cover well and refrigerate. It can also be frozen for long-term storage. 1qt of cream will yield about 1 pound of butter and a pint of buttermilk. Enjoy!
Here it looks fluffy like whipped cream.
Right when you see it start to change (see picture below - it will no longer be so fluffy like whipped cream), turn the beater speed down to the lowest speed it has. Scrape the sides of the bowl periodically.
As the milk separates out, it will splash up more and more. If you do not have a protection shield for your beater/mixer, hold up a towel or something else to protect you and your surroundings from having a shower of milk.
Here are a few more pictures as it progresses along.
After a while you'll notice it is not changing much. Dump the milk into a jar to save it (this is buttermilk ... great in pancakes, cakes, or whatever). Continue beating on low a little longer to get more milk out; pour off the milk and save.
Now you must wash the butter. Add about as much cold water to the butter as was buttermilk. Beat on low for a bit. Drain. Repeat.
All washed and ready to go. Next beat in some salt. Start with 1t and add more if desired.
The final step is pressing as much water out of it as you can. It works good to kept the butter in the mixing bowl and smash it over and over again against the side of the bowl while tipping the bowl at an angle so the water can drain down. Every so often you'll want to dump the water out so you can see how much new water is pooling.
Press the finished butter into a form or bowl of some kind, cover well and refrigerate. It can also be frozen for long-term storage. 1qt of cream will yield about 1 pound of butter and a pint of buttermilk. Enjoy!
Monday, May 9, 2011
Breakfast Ideas
It's been a while but I'm still here ... just have not had time to post on this thing!! I'm getting together a garden post soon (lots of green stuff :) spinach, kale, beets, lettuce, etc.) but here is a quick post on breakfast ideas.
I always have a green smoothie for breakfast, but my children have fruit and something else. The 'something else' is what varies from day to day. Most commonly it includes leftovers. Sometimes it's Beans and rice. Beans and cornbread. Beans and tortillas. All favorites. Pancakes ... we sometimes have those but not like the typical american I don't suppose? Peanut butter, fruit, applesauce, pear or pumpkin butter, etc. No syrup or butter. I am sure to make enough to send along with lunch for pancake sandwiches or to have as snacks later on. Something else we like very much is cornbread or cake with fresh milk over it. This morning I made a pear cake (just a basic cake recipe with 2/3 less sugar, a little stevia added, pear juice instead of milk and chopped canned pears) and the children ate that with raw milk that a friend gave us :) YUM!
Breakfast cereal is so expensive and so not good for you!! Well ... a few are actually good for you, but still expensive when compared to leftovers, rice, oatmeal, etc. And too, they are usually loaded with sugar and leave you feeling hungry soon after. Take care of yourself!! Eat healthy.
I always have a green smoothie for breakfast, but my children have fruit and something else. The 'something else' is what varies from day to day. Most commonly it includes leftovers. Sometimes it's Beans and rice. Beans and cornbread. Beans and tortillas. All favorites. Pancakes ... we sometimes have those but not like the typical american I don't suppose? Peanut butter, fruit, applesauce, pear or pumpkin butter, etc. No syrup or butter. I am sure to make enough to send along with lunch for pancake sandwiches or to have as snacks later on. Something else we like very much is cornbread or cake with fresh milk over it. This morning I made a pear cake (just a basic cake recipe with 2/3 less sugar, a little stevia added, pear juice instead of milk and chopped canned pears) and the children ate that with raw milk that a friend gave us :) YUM!
Breakfast cereal is so expensive and so not good for you!! Well ... a few are actually good for you, but still expensive when compared to leftovers, rice, oatmeal, etc. And too, they are usually loaded with sugar and leave you feeling hungry soon after. Take care of yourself!! Eat healthy.
Friday, April 1, 2011
Frugal humor
We subscribe to the Missouri Conservationist magazine ... we appreciate the articles in it and it's free. Sometimes they have stupid cartoons in there too. I thought to share this one because it gave me a good laugh. Enjoy! 
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Picky eaters take note ...
A quote from 1930:
"People eat finicky nowadays. When I was young, we relished blood sausage, brains and eggs, sheep-head soup, fish-head chowder, kidney stew, and mountain oysters - all good, solid, nourishing foods. Yet today's youngsters couldn't be paid to eat them."
Mrs. A. Keller, age 98
"People eat finicky nowadays. When I was young, we relished blood sausage, brains and eggs, sheep-head soup, fish-head chowder, kidney stew, and mountain oysters - all good, solid, nourishing foods. Yet today's youngsters couldn't be paid to eat them."
Mrs. A. Keller, age 98
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Snacks on the go
OK, listen up. Are you listening? Ok, good. DO NOT BUY JUNK FOOD WHEN YOU ARE OUT 
AND ABOUT!! Did you hear that? Well, just in case, here it is again: DO NOT BUY JUNK FOOD WHEN YOU ARE OUT AND ABOUT!!
First, it's junk. There is little to no nutritional value to it and in fact it does harm to your body.
Second, it's junk. Empty calories that do not fill you up ... you are still left hungry.
Third, it's junk. Paying high dollars per ounce or pound when you could pay so much less for something that is healthy for you.
So, what can you do instead? Plan ahead. If you know you are going to be out during a meal
time, bring along a homemade snack, a piece of fruit, a carrot, etc. I understand that planning ahead is not always an option, so if you find yourself out and needing a snack, please do not stop at the fast food place and select something off the dollar menu. Please do not stop at the grocery store and grab a candy bar or bag of chips. How about a banana? They are so good, are filling, are cheap, easy to eat in the car, etc. Brianna and I had to stop at the store after our job today and it was lunch time. I bought two bananas to tide us over till I could get home and get lunch cooked. Yum! Carrots too are easy to eat in the car. Yesterday we were in Joplin because I had a dentist appointment; we always stop at Aldis while there. We snacked on carrots on the drive home. I stopped to get gas and put the carrot in my pocket ... how simple is that?!
Our bananas cost us $.20 each, were sweet, delicious, easy to eat in the car, etc. A tiny little candy bar costs $.75 now ... I just cannot believe that!!! ("I remember when I was young _______.") Of course I could have bought 2 candy bars for $1.50 (or taken the 'frugal route' [NOT] and shared a king size candy bar for $1.00) ... we would have loaded up on sugar, fat, etc. and would have still been left craving more because there is no nutritional value or substance there. And too, I would have had blood sugar problems!!
Please don't spend money like that - skip the junk food. PLan ahead or stop by the store real quick and grab a back of apples, a bunch of bananas, some oranges, grapes, etc.
AND ABOUT!! Did you hear that? Well, just in case, here it is again: DO NOT BUY JUNK FOOD WHEN YOU ARE OUT AND ABOUT!!First, it's junk. There is little to no nutritional value to it and in fact it does harm to your body.
Second, it's junk. Empty calories that do not fill you up ... you are still left hungry.
Third, it's junk. Paying high dollars per ounce or pound when you could pay so much less for something that is healthy for you.
So, what can you do instead? Plan ahead. If you know you are going to be out during a meal
time, bring along a homemade snack, a piece of fruit, a carrot, etc. I understand that planning ahead is not always an option, so if you find yourself out and needing a snack, please do not stop at the fast food place and select something off the dollar menu. Please do not stop at the grocery store and grab a candy bar or bag of chips. How about a banana? They are so good, are filling, are cheap, easy to eat in the car, etc. Brianna and I had to stop at the store after our job today and it was lunch time. I bought two bananas to tide us over till I could get home and get lunch cooked. Yum! Carrots too are easy to eat in the car. Yesterday we were in Joplin because I had a dentist appointment; we always stop at Aldis while there. We snacked on carrots on the drive home. I stopped to get gas and put the carrot in my pocket ... how simple is that?!Our bananas cost us $.20 each, were sweet, delicious, easy to eat in the car, etc. A tiny little candy bar costs $.75 now ... I just cannot believe that!!! ("I remember when I was young _______.") Of course I could have bought 2 candy bars for $1.50 (or taken the 'frugal route' [NOT] and shared a king size candy bar for $1.00) ... we would have loaded up on sugar, fat, etc. and would have still been left craving more because there is no nutritional value or substance there. And too, I would have had blood sugar problems!!
Please don't spend money like that - skip the junk food. PLan ahead or stop by the store real quick and grab a back of apples, a bunch of bananas, some oranges, grapes, etc.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
A few frugal tips
This elderly man we visit gave us some VERY OLD crackers. They were a few years past the "best by" date, but there were no obvious bugs in them. Yes, they were VERY stale, but otherwise they were all right. We lined them up on the dehydrator trays and dehydrated them for a few hours ... nearly as good as new! They still had a slight 'stale aftertaste', however they were very crisp again.
Another thing I discovered recently ... the other day I was making buttered noodles as part of our dinner. I had just finished off the last of the pretzels (there were only a few of them!) and the empty sack was sitting on the counter. Buttered noodles need salt, and there was the empty pretzel bag right in front of me with all that 'rock' salt at the bottom of the bag ... about to be thrown out!! I added some of that salt, and then saved the rest in a small jar; there was about 2T in all. Now whenever we are done with pretzels, we will save the salt and use it for soups or whatever.
:)
Another thing I discovered recently ... the other day I was making buttered noodles as part of our dinner. I had just finished off the last of the pretzels (there were only a few of them!) and the empty sack was sitting on the counter. Buttered noodles need salt, and there was the empty pretzel bag right in front of me with all that 'rock' salt at the bottom of the bag ... about to be thrown out!! I added some of that salt, and then saved the rest in a small jar; there was about 2T in all. Now whenever we are done with pretzels, we will save the salt and use it for soups or whatever.
:)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Fiber, Nutrition, Etc...
Without getting into too much detail or taking a whole lot of time, I just wanted to share something real quick that shocked me.
Our internet opens up to Yahoo ... and on it there was an article about the "15 worst health and diet myths" or something like that. The part where I will not share much detail is whether or not I agree with what all they say there. I do want to share however one point. Here is what they say (there are a few spelling errors!) :
~~~~~~~
Myth #10: You need 38 grams of fiber a day
Reality: More fiber is better, but 38 is nearly impossible
That's the recommendation from the Institute of Medicine. And it's a lot, equaling nine apples or more than a half dozen bowls of instant oatmeal. (Most people eat about 15 grams of fiber daily.) The studies found a correlation between high fiber intake and lower incidence of heart disease. But none of the high-fiber-eating groups in those studies averaged as high as 38 grams, and, in fact, people saw maximum benefits with a daily gram intake averaging from the high 20s to the low 30s.
Put the Truth to Work for You: Just eat sensibilty. Favor whole, unprocessed foods. Make sure the carbs you eat are fiber-rich—that means produce, legumes, and whole grains—because they'll help slow the aborption of sugar into your bloodstream.
~~~~~~~
Getting 38 grams of fiber a day is "NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE"??? What planet are they on? I was so shocked by that statement because I KNEW IT WAS NOT TRUE. How do I know? I used to track what I ate using a nifty free website called nutridiary.com and also fitday.com. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables each day and also try to stick to whole grains and beans, with a little bit of meat (sometimes I have days with no meat) and little to no dairy. When I read that article and the point about how it is nearly impossible to get 38 grams of fiber in one day, I quick went on to fitday.com and plugged in what all I have eaten so far today.
Breakfast - a green smoothie consisting of 2 large bananas, 2 medium sized apples, a big handful of kale, a slice of lemon, about 2T of fresh ground flax, and 1/2c of frozen mulberries.
Lunch - Whole wheat pasta with a tomato sauce and a bowl of steamed carrots.
That's all I've had so far today, unless you want to also count the 5 cups of water and the cup of peppermint tea :)
How do I measure up? According to fitday.com, here's my tally thus far:
Calories 1,088
Fat 15.4g
Saturated 2.6g
Polyunsaturated 6.3g
Monounsaturated 4.4g
Carbohydrate 233.5g
Dietary Fiber 40.4g
Protein 29.5g
Our internet opens up to Yahoo ... and on it there was an article about the "15 worst health and diet myths" or something like that. The part where I will not share much detail is whether or not I agree with what all they say there. I do want to share however one point. Here is what they say (there are a few spelling errors!) :
~~~~~~~
Myth #10: You need 38 grams of fiber a day
Reality: More fiber is better, but 38 is nearly impossible
That's the recommendation from the Institute of Medicine. And it's a lot, equaling nine apples or more than a half dozen bowls of instant oatmeal. (Most people eat about 15 grams of fiber daily.) The studies found a correlation between high fiber intake and lower incidence of heart disease. But none of the high-fiber-eating groups in those studies averaged as high as 38 grams, and, in fact, people saw maximum benefits with a daily gram intake averaging from the high 20s to the low 30s.
Put the Truth to Work for You: Just eat sensibilty. Favor whole, unprocessed foods. Make sure the carbs you eat are fiber-rich—that means produce, legumes, and whole grains—because they'll help slow the aborption of sugar into your bloodstream.
~~~~~~~
Getting 38 grams of fiber a day is "NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE"??? What planet are they on? I was so shocked by that statement because I KNEW IT WAS NOT TRUE. How do I know? I used to track what I ate using a nifty free website called nutridiary.com and also fitday.com. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables each day and also try to stick to whole grains and beans, with a little bit of meat (sometimes I have days with no meat) and little to no dairy. When I read that article and the point about how it is nearly impossible to get 38 grams of fiber in one day, I quick went on to fitday.com and plugged in what all I have eaten so far today.
Breakfast - a green smoothie consisting of 2 large bananas, 2 medium sized apples, a big handful of kale, a slice of lemon, about 2T of fresh ground flax, and 1/2c of frozen mulberries.
Lunch - Whole wheat pasta with a tomato sauce and a bowl of steamed carrots.
That's all I've had so far today, unless you want to also count the 5 cups of water and the cup of peppermint tea :)
How do I measure up? According to fitday.com, here's my tally thus far:
Calories 1,088
Fat 15.4g
Saturated 2.6g
Polyunsaturated 6.3g
Monounsaturated 4.4g
Carbohydrate 233.5g
Dietary Fiber 40.4g
Protein 29.5g
The only way this could be a little different is because I did not know how to plug in the tomato sauce I made. It did not give me an option for whole wheat noodles apart from having sauce on it, so I had to choose the "whole wheat noodles with meatless tomato sauce" option. But, that will not make a big difference for the fiber tracking point. Also, I've almost met all of the RDA's for the vitamins and minerals they have listed.
Notice my fiber intake so far today - yes, 40 grams ... and that does not even include supper, which will be beans, rice, veggies and corn tortillas ... another 20g of fiber or more. That's over 60g of fiber for one day.
If you are only getting 15g of fiber a day, you MUST eat more fruits and vegetables!! Did you know that you are supposed to have 2-3 bowel movements a day? If you are not regular in this way, you MUST do something about it. There is a lot to be said about the health of your intestines and colon ... but once again, I do not have time to get into all that stuff.
Notice my fiber intake so far today - yes, 40 grams ... and that does not even include supper, which will be beans, rice, veggies and corn tortillas ... another 20g of fiber or more. That's over 60g of fiber for one day.
If you are only getting 15g of fiber a day, you MUST eat more fruits and vegetables!! Did you know that you are supposed to have 2-3 bowel movements a day? If you are not regular in this way, you MUST do something about it. There is a lot to be said about the health of your intestines and colon ... but once again, I do not have time to get into all that stuff.
What in the world does a person eat in a day that they only get 15g of fiber?? I have an idea ... meat, cheese, white flour products, chips, soda, ... and maybe some heavily processed fruits and vegetables? Yuck. There is NO FIBER in animal products, and hardly any at all in white flour products or heavily processed fruits and vegetables.
Take care of yourself. Eat healthy foods. Stay away from foods that offer no nutrition. Snack on raw fruits and veggies. Eat a raw salad of some kind with at least one meal a day. Try green smoothies. Eat as many greens in one day as you can. Eat as much lacto-fermented foods as you can. Try making your own whole wheat bread. Or better yet, sourdough bread. (update 6-28-12: I'll try to have a recipe for that soon)
I might post more on this stuff some other time. If any of this has triggered your curiosity and you have a specific question, please ask!! A sincere question could give me a good idea for another blog post.
I might post more on this stuff some other time. If any of this has triggered your curiosity and you have a specific question, please ask!! A sincere question could give me a good idea for another blog post.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Money saving meal tip ...
I assume your town puts out local grocery store ads each week? Look in the sale ads and write down what's on sale that you would normally buy. Now look in your cupboards, pantry, freezer, fridge, etc. and see what's on hand. Plan your meals based on what's on sale and what's on hand. Go shopping. If it's an especially great deal, stock up.
Most people know this already, but it still surprises me how often people break this simple money saving tip. They have a craving for a specific thing, so they buy it and do not care about the jacked up price because "it's only one thing, what does it matter?" Well, a lot of 'one things' add up quick, and so does the money you waste!!
I have certain high-end prices in my mind for various items that I normally buy that I will NOT go over. For instance, I know that I can get grapes on sale for 99 cents a pound, however right now they are about $1.99 - $2.99 a pound. Guess what? I have not eaten grapes in about two months because I will not spend more than .99 a pound for them. I have all sorts of prices in my head, and having this information is handy because I know right away when I see a really good deal. Using grapes again as an example, one time at Aldi they were on sale for .75 a pound. I bought 30 pounds or so. We ate what we could fresh and then froze them before they went bad. The frozen ones work well in smoothies.
Carrots go for .50 a pound at Aldi ... I will go without carrots until I can make it to Aldis because Wal Mart is the next cheapest and they sell it for about .75 a pound. No thanks. When I do make it to Aldi, I stock up on carrots and try to get as many as I'll need to last me till the next time I go.
Well, this could turn in to a long post, so I'll just stop now and assume you know what I'm talking about. Please do not waste your money!!
Most people know this already, but it still surprises me how often people break this simple money saving tip. They have a craving for a specific thing, so they buy it and do not care about the jacked up price because "it's only one thing, what does it matter?" Well, a lot of 'one things' add up quick, and so does the money you waste!!
I have certain high-end prices in my mind for various items that I normally buy that I will NOT go over. For instance, I know that I can get grapes on sale for 99 cents a pound, however right now they are about $1.99 - $2.99 a pound. Guess what? I have not eaten grapes in about two months because I will not spend more than .99 a pound for them. I have all sorts of prices in my head, and having this information is handy because I know right away when I see a really good deal. Using grapes again as an example, one time at Aldi they were on sale for .75 a pound. I bought 30 pounds or so. We ate what we could fresh and then froze them before they went bad. The frozen ones work well in smoothies.
Carrots go for .50 a pound at Aldi ... I will go without carrots until I can make it to Aldis because Wal Mart is the next cheapest and they sell it for about .75 a pound. No thanks. When I do make it to Aldi, I stock up on carrots and try to get as many as I'll need to last me till the next time I go.
Well, this could turn in to a long post, so I'll just stop now and assume you know what I'm talking about. Please do not waste your money!!
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Another tunic design
Brianna designed me a tunic the other day - I wanted a tunic that had no buttons, no zippers, no 'v-neck', no big hole for the head, etc. Just a plain front. So, I told her to do the neck in a certain way - like a onesies - so my head could fit in and then it would close up again. The difference is that the onesies has the fabric from the back overlapping in the front, however mine is overlapping in the back. Here's a picture of a onesies in case you do not know:
Here is the results of a lot of hard work on Brianna's part:
And another picture ... Tylor looks kind of funny :) the sun was in his eyes.
In case you were wondering, the material is a linen/cotton blend; it was a large tablecloth I picked up a long time ago for very cheap (a few dollars?). I appreciate the design along the edge - it seems to break up the tunic from the dress. Also, there was not enough material to make a full dress, so Brianna used other material for the parts you cannot see.
No buttons, no zippers, no funny v-necks ... just plain and simple. There are still a few 'quirks' to be worked out, but who cares? It's good enough and very comfortable ... and most importantly, modest.
Here is the results of a lot of hard work on Brianna's part:
And another picture ... Tylor looks kind of funny :) the sun was in his eyes.
In case you were wondering, the material is a linen/cotton blend; it was a large tablecloth I picked up a long time ago for very cheap (a few dollars?). I appreciate the design along the edge - it seems to break up the tunic from the dress. Also, there was not enough material to make a full dress, so Brianna used other material for the parts you cannot see.
No buttons, no zippers, no funny v-necks ... just plain and simple. There are still a few 'quirks' to be worked out, but who cares? It's good enough and very comfortable ... and most importantly, modest.
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