Saturday, March 23, 2013

Chicken Tagine (aka - spectacular fail)

I seem to be on a Melissa D'arabian roll here lately.  It has been three weeks since I made the Lemon Confit, so I wanted to try to make the Chicken Tagine.

Spectacular fail.

Three leg quarters                                                         $2.00
Butter and olive oil                                                       $  .15
2 onions                                                                       $  .40
Ginger, Turmeric, Cinnamon                                       $  .50
3 cloves garlic                                                              $  .25
1/4 cup White wine                                                      $  .50
1/4 cup Bone Broth                                                     $  .50
1 confit lemon                                                              $  .88
1/2 cup gently crushed briny olives                             $  .75
3 Tbsp chopped cilantro                                              $  .10
                                                            TOTAL =      $ 6.03

If there is a saving grace to the fact that this did not go too well, it is that not too much money was wasted.

When I took the lemon out of the ball jar, it did not look like the lemon that Mrs. D'arabian sliced on her show.  It was still much more firm than I had thought it would be.  While I was cutting the lemon, it occurred to me to let the lemon cook soft.  Well, I got on line, documenting the price of making some Paleo Tamales (Yes, I said Paleo Tamales!) and I lost track of time a bit.  I burned dinner.

Husband was uber supportive and actually tried to eat almost an entire serving before he finally had to kindly let me know that it was pretty bad.

He went and made a sandwich from Julian Bakery bread and meats.  I whipped up a juice blend and had some hard boiled eggs, and the girls grazed on leftover fish, turkey dogs, and sandwiches.  It was basically  free for all for dinner around here.

I think I am going to give the lemon confit another week or two and then try the recipe again.

t

Chicken in Mustard over Spaghetti Squash - a Paleo feast

Yet another of Melissa D'arabian's recipes.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/chicken-in-mustard-recipe/index.html

This recipe is normally served over egg noodles, or rice.  In the past, I had served it over both, then when we went to "eating clean" I served it over brown rice.  Now, I serve it over spaghetti squash, and it is delish!

Main entree:
Olive oil drizzle                                                                            $  .20
1/2 a package of chicken leg quarters                                           $3.50
2 onions - chopped                                                                       $  .40
Mushrooms - 8 oz clamshell                                                         $1.59
Garlic - 3 cloves, pressed                                                              $  .25
Tomato - 1 can diced tomatoes                                                     $  .59
Rosemary - 1/2 a sprig's worth of leaves                                      $  .50
1 cup white wine                                                                          $  .75
Mustard - 2 tbsp - heaping                                                            $  .20
Sour Cream 1/3 of 16 oz container                                               $  .43
Bone Broth or chicken stock                                                        $  .50
Spaghetti Squash                                                                          $5.20
                                                                                TOTAL =   $14.11

Salad:
Artisan Lettuce                                                                            $  .75
Spinach                                                                                       $  .50
1 tbsp capers                                                                                $  .25
1/2 cup black olives                                                                     $  .55
1/2 cucumber  @ 2 for $1                                                            $  .25
1/2 carrot, grated                                                                          $  .15
                                                                                TOTAL =    $2.45

Total meal = $16.56  And, we wound up with enough leftovers for three meals, in addition to our nice dinner for the entire family.

If you looked at the link to the original recipe on the Food Network's website, you will note that the original recipe calls for flour.  I have omitted it.  I have also made it without the sour cream in the past when I opened the refrigerator only to find out that I am out of it.  It is still lip smackin' good without the dairy.

On the stovetop, in my trusty dutch oven (I only got the thing last year, and now I cook with it almost daily) I warm a drizzle of olive oil while I dice the onion and slice the mushrooms.  When the oil is nice and warmed, place chicken in the pan, and brown both sides of the chicken.  Remove browned chicken to a plate and set aside.

Dump in onions and cook until wilty.  Dump in mushrooms, and stir until everything is lightly coated with oil and wilty also.  If you are using 1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, then now is when you want to add them to the pot.  If you are using canned tomatoes, you will add them in a bit.

About now is when you should start to pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

De-glaze your pan with a cup of white wine (I use a dry white for this recipe) and, if you are using canned tomatoes, add them now, after all the little bits of flavor have been lifted from the bottom of the pan.

Add your chicken back in, and nestle them into the veggies.  Once your chicken is in, add bone broth or chicken stock until the chicken pieces are about half covered, then cover your pot and put it into a 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes.

Since my spaghetti squash needs to cook at 350 for 45 minutes, I wind up cooking the chicken for 45 minutes too.  It just makes it easier to take everything out at the same time, and it does not seem to hurt the flavor or moistness of the chicken at all.

I know that this blog is for "paleo on the cheap" and some of the recipes that I have shared lately are decidedly not cheap.  I do hope that you get ideas for how you can cook in your own kitchen.

Example:
Serve this recipe as a stew, without the Spaghetti Squash, and it will save you 5 bucks, thus rendering the main course $8.91.  Plus the salad, and a dinner for 4 people costs $11.36.  Not a bad price for any dinnr for 4, and certainly not a bad price for a Paleo meal for a family of 4.

Omitting the Spaghetti Squash would pretty much guarantee that the leftovers would not happen...  At least in my house.  And, one of those three gladware containers of leftovers, paired with another salad during the week, will save Husband $8.00 on his lunch one day this week.

Take the salad and add a hard boiled egg, for a great lunch (complete with protein) for $2.70 (from a free range chicken - egg is $.25)

Or, add a $.68 cent can of tuna and the salad is a GREAT lunch or dinner for $3.13.

t

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Not really paleo, but paleo-fied Croque Madame

I believe that I have mentioned Melissa D'arabian and my love for her show "10 Dollar Dinners" before.  A few years ago, she highlighted the recipe for Croque Madame's on her show, and my family have loved them ever since.  They are one of the favorite sandwiches of mine that I missed when going Paleo-adjacent.

(Okay, technically, they are not a sandwich, since they do not have a second slice of bread. They are one of the tartine's that I have missed - happy?)  ;-)

I finally broke down about bought some bread from Julian Bakery while I was at Cooks this last trip, and one of the things that I definitely wanted to try was Croque Madame's.  Oh, merciful Heavens, they were good!  This recipe is swimming with dairy, since it has both sour cream and cheese.  So, definitely NOT paleo.  This recipe lives on the other side of town from paleo, on the wrong side of the tracks.  It is also full of flavor hacks for the cheese (which is not Gruyere), and the sauce (which is not a bechamel).

8 pieces of bread (1/2 the loaf)                                                     $4.50
1/3 a 16 oz sour cream container                                                  $  .43
1  heaping tbsp mustard with herbs                                               $  .10
1 1/2 cups shredded mozarella                                                      $1.65
1/2 cup dry white wine                                                                  $ .75
8 eggs                                                                                          $  .96
24 slices of lunchenon meat ham (about 1/2 a 1 lb pack)               $1.75
                                                                    TOTAL =              $10.14

Put cheese in a glass bowl, and dump the wine over it.  This will give some of the same flavor notes as using the actual Gruyere, and you are not paying 15 bucks a pound for the cheese. :-)  Let the cheese sit in the wine for several minutes.  You might need to occasionally peek at it and push the cheese into the wine, or mix it from bottom to top.  I do this step first, and let it soak while I am assembling everything else and preparing the other components of the recipe.

Mix sour cream with the mustard.  I had a bottle of fancy-schmancy mustard with herbs and stuff in it, and I used that.  You can use plain French's mustard too.  This will give a rich flavor to your faux bechamel.  I think that I will try this with greek yogurt next time and see if it works as well.   

8 slices of Julian Bakery Almond Paleo Bread - place under broiler for 1.5 minutes per side to toast bread

Once the bread is toasted, spread faux bechamel on the bread, then add your ham.  I used 3 hams per bread. 1st 2 pieces of ham overlapping to allow for another layer of sauce under the top layer of ham.

Second layer of sauce

Fold sides over the second layer, then place the third slice of ham on top

Evenly distribute wine-soaked cheese over your tartine, and put back under the broiler until cheese is melty (about 5 minutes) I like the fact that the ham slice curls up a bit in order to create a bowl for the egg to go into.

Top with egg - mine is over medium, so I get that wonderful burst of egg yolk that I can sop up with the bread.



Like I said, this is in no way a Paleo meal, but it is a meal that I had missed, and I have "ancestralized" it to the point that I feel comfortable eating it, and feeding it to my family.  If you decide to try it, I hope you like it as much as we do. :-)

For Croque alternatives, also try;
Croque Provencal - topped with tomato instead of egg.
Croque Gagnet - topped with Andouille Sausage.
Croque Norvegien - use smoked salmon instead of ham.
Croque Hawiian - with a slice of pineapple instead of egg.

t            

Monday, March 18, 2013

Lemon confit and dried lemons


Finished product!

Quite some time ago, I saw the "10 Dollar Dinners" episode showcasing Melissa D'arabian's Chicken Tagine recipe.  It looked delicious, but the Lemon Confit has been cost prohibitive.  $13.00 for a 4.5 oz container.  Plus, it is difficult to find outside of gourmet foodie stores.  I set the idea aside, but it has stayed in the back of my mind...almost forgotten, but not quite.

When Aldi advertised lemons for 19 cents each, I remembered the Chicken Tagine recipe and thought to make some confit at home.  If I did it correctly, the process was very simple.

Here is the recipe from the food network site... (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/melissa-darabian/lemon-confit-recipe/index.html)

Lemon Confit:
3 organic lemons, skin scrubbed well
Kosher salt
4 peppercorns
1/2 lemon, juiced
Place the lemons, 2 to 3 tablespoons salt, peppercorns, and lemon juice in a quart jar and cover with water. Store chilled for 3 weeks. 
Gathering all of my ingredients - Ball jars, lemons, Jamaican Allspice, and salt
Scrubbed my lemons clean
3 freshly scrubbed lemons per jar...
Add salt to each
juice from 1/2 a lemon in each jar
Add water to jars...
I used Jamaican Allspice peppercorns.  I had them on hand, and I thought their more exotic flavor would be a good compliment to the tartness of the lemons.  This could turn out well, or badly.  I will let you know how it goes.
The most expensive thing about this recipe was purchasing a 12 count box of Pint sized ball jars for 11.89.  So, roughly one dollar per jar as a one time cost.  Hopefully, I will use them again and again for various recipes, or for straight storage.  

Cost breakdown for the recipe:
12 Ball jars                                                                                  11.89
24.5 lemons @ 19 cents each                                                         4.66
21 tbsp kosher salt                                                                         1.05
28 peppercorns   @ .03 each                                                           .84
                                                                                     Total =    18.44

Now, I would not have purchased the ball jars without the intent of making confit, so I am amortizing the price of all 12 jars into the cost of the resulting 7 jars of product, so when I crunch my numbers, I will simply divide the $18.44 total into only 7 jars, so each jar is $2.64.

For 7 pint sized jars of lemon confit, I paid $2.64 per jar, which is waaaaayyy lower than any price I could have found in a specialty foodie shop, or on line.  AND - the next time I make it, the price will not include the jars, so it will be less than a dollar per jar to make in the future. 

The next time I make this recipe, since I will already have the jars, it should only set me back about $6.64.  Even considering the price of the jars, $18.53 is not bad for 7 pint sized jars of Lemon Confit.  $6.64 will be even better!  :-)

Each jar holds 3 lemons, and the juice of half a lemon per jar for 7 jars meant 24.5 lemons were used for the Confit recipe.  I used a lemon the other day to poach my fish, so I had 4.5 lemons left over. 

It seemed like a good idea to try to preserve the rest of the lemons in some way, so I decided to dry my leftover lemons for use later.  I sliced the lemons fairly thinly, getting 5-8 slices per lemon, depending on the size of the lemon  Setting my oven to 200 degrees, and putting the lemon slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil, I started the drying process.  Turning every hour for 5 hours, I wound up with lovely dried lemons that I can use for future fish poaching.

t

Sunday, March 17, 2013

How "diets" are like religion.

When people find a "diet" that works for them, a way to lose weight and get into shape, something that makes them feel good and gives them energy, stamina, and hope, they want to share it.  It is a revelation, and sometimes, you develop a certain evangelism in regards to your new way of eating, much like a new religious convert is very evangelical in their new-to-them belief system.  It is as though you have finally found a key that unlocks a door inside of yourself that you have been trying to open for the longest time.  Suddenly, you are no longer banging your head against a wall, and battering your body into the door jam.  The door is open, and you can glide effortlessly in.  Answers are there at your fingertips, and it is such a good feeling, you cannot help but mention it, work it into conversations.  You want everyone to feel as good, as hopeful, and as smart as you feel.  You want to share the wealth, so to speak.

The hard part is realizing that your path is not the path that everyone will choose.  Harder than that is not being a pain in the neck regarding your core beliefs when faced with someone that not only does not follow your personal plan to either salvation or health, but diametrically opposes your views in their own core beliefs.

I have chosen a Paleo/Primal path, and I am good friends with someone that has chosen veganism.  She eats lots of Legumes, breads, and whole grains.  And, that works for her.  Paleo is working for me.  She keeps trying to "convert" me, telling me that grains and beans are essential parts of a "healthy" diet.  I hug her and tell her that I think it is fabulous that she has found a way to live that makes her happy, and keeps her healthy, but that her way is not the one that makes me feel like I am taking the best ever care of myself.  She has told me that I frustrate her. She says that if I would just "get it", then I could feel even better!  I thank her for the very genuine concern that she has for me, and suggest that we agree to disagree, then change the topic if is is causing her any stress.  Then, we move to another topic, and we wind up laughing and having a good time.

Good luck, Godspeed, Namaste, and be kind to everyone around you.  Their road is also fraught with uncertainty, worry, stress, mishaps, and humanity.

t

Groceries 3/16/2013 - 3 different stores...Part2

On Saturday, my shopping took on a kind of grueling quality, which is not normal at all for me.  I wound up taking advantage of the fact that I was going to be in Rogers anyway and go to Cooks Natural Market and Wal-Mart Neighborhood Market, as well as Aldi.  My trip to Aldi was the totality of part 1 of this post.  Now, WMNM, and Cooks...

Cooks Natural Market - I had been meaning to try a couple of things which would necessitate a trip to Cooks, and since I was going to be in the area... you get the idea.

Julian Bakery makes a Paleo friendly bread, which I have wanted to try for several months, and I finally broke down and doled out the money for 2 loaves.

Julian Bakery Bread (coconut and almond varieties 1 of each)  2@ 8.99                          $17.98
Grapeseed Oil  16oz bottle                                                                                             $  9.79
Organic Sunflower Butter 4@ 7.89                                                                                 $31.56
Better n' Peanut Butter                                                                                                    $ 6.19
Coconut Milk 4@2.39                                                                                                   $  9.56
Sugar Free Cookies                                                                                                       $  2.49
High Fiber Chia Seeds                                                                                                   $  9.99
Ak-Mak Armenian Cracker                                                                                           $    .29
Brown Flaxseed (from bulk aisle)  .31 lb @ 2.49 lb                                                        $    .77
Golden Flaxseed (from bulk aisle) .31 lb @ 3.99 lb                                                         $ 1.24
Sunflower Seeds (from bulk aisle) .32 lb @ 4.09 lb                                                         $ 1.31
1 Bag - I had managed to fill all of my re-usable bags at Aldi                                            $1.00
Tax                                                                                                                                 $4.10
                                                                                                              TOTAL =       $93.88

After hitting Aldi and Cooks, I seriously considered skipping WM Neighborhood Market, but I was planning on making Paleo Tamales today, so I wanted to be sure to get my plantains.

WMNM -

Kale Greens 2 bunches @ .98 each                                                                              $1.96
Green Plantains 10 @ .62 each                                                                                     $6.20
                                                                                                                TOTAL=     $8.16

My pantry, refrigerator, and freezer are well stocked unto full, so I am prepared for a busy Spring Break.  I try to keep the whole dragging the girls to the store to a minimum, because I am more efficient when it is just me going through the store.  Additionally, we will be hitting parks, museums, and the indoor pool at our gym during this week, and I do not want to have to go by the store in the midst of all of that.

Plus, I am fairly sure that I will feed an extra kid or two at several of our meals this week. 

I had planned on making Paleo Tamales, but was not able to find Banana leaves, and I did nto want to make them with corn husks.  Then, I re-read the recipe (http://www.mypaleolife.com/paleo-diet-recipes/paleo-tamales) and I could have picked up parchment paper at Cooks - D'oh! Note to self: always read the ENTIRE recipe before going to buy it's components.  :-)

t

"Hot Mess" for breakfast

2 sites that I follow had similar recipes.  I had read about Joe's Special (my way) on Budget Bytes. (http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/2012/11/joes-special-my-way-918-recipe-153.html)

 So, when 100 Days Of Real Food posted this ( https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=532843293426684&set=a.189769597734057.47450.111437015567316&type=1&relevant_count=1&ref=nf ) on their Facebook feed, I automatically thought of the Joe's Special from Budget Bytes.  Splice the two together, and I made a hot mess!

To begin with, chop up an onion and put it in your pan on medium high with some olive oil until the onion is translucent.  Toss in some mushrooms, and any other veggies that you might have lying around and feel like adding.  Add 1 tbsp grated garlic, then drop in 1 lb of ground turkey.  When turkey is almost done browning, add a package of spinach and let it wilt.  Crack 2 or 3 eggs into the mix and continue to stir the eggs into the hot mix until they are integrated and cooked through.  Take off heat.

In another pan, cook 1 or 2 eggs to your personal taste, I made mine over medium.

Plate by filling a bowl with "Hot Mess", drizzle with Sriracha, then top with egg.

Onion                                                                                                             $  .20
Mushrooms 1/2 an 8 oz clamshell                                                                    $  .80
Garlic                                                                                                             $  .10
Spinach 1/2 bag                                                                                              $  .85
5 eggs (2 in mix, 3 in bowls)                                                                            $  .60
Sriracha                                                                                                          $  .15
Salt and Pepper to taste                                                                                  $  .05
                                                                                                 TOTAL =     $2.75 for 3 servings

That winds up being $ .92 per bowl for a good, filling, and nutritious Paleo breakfast.  Woo Hoo!

Super simple breakfast, especially when you make Hot Mess the night before, and only have to cook your egg topper in the morning!


This is Husband's.  He gets 2 eggs, so his breakfast was $1.04 ;-)
t

Groceries 3/16/2013 - 3 different stores...Part1

So, Husband and I are members of a motorcycle enthusiast's group.  Knowing that we had a meeting on Saturday morning, I put off the trips to Cooks and Aldi until after the meeting, since they were all going to be in Rogers. 

We bundled Things 1 & 2 up and went to our meeting, which was wonderfully productive, and then I was off for victuals...

Due to the volume of things purchased, I will only be detailing my trip to Aldi's in this first part.

EZ peel raw shrimp  2@4.99                                                                              $9.98
Wild caught Salmon 3@3.99                                                                            $11.97
Swai Fillets                                                                                                         $5.49
Cantaloupe 3@ 1.29                                                                                          $3.87
Sliced Mushrooms 8oz clamshells 4@1.59                                                          $6.36
Artisan Lettuce  2@1.99                                                                                     $3.98
Bananas 27.22 lbs @ .44 per lb.                                                                       $11.98
Mandarin Oranges 3lb bags - 2@1.69                                                                $3.38
Broccoli Crowns  2@1.49                                                                                  $2.98
Celery 3@1.49                                                                                                   $4.47
Red Delicious Apples 3lb bag                                                                              $3.49
Granny Smith Apples 3lb bag                                                                               $3.49
Cabbage 2@ .49                                                                                                 $  .98
Carrots 2@ .99                                                                                                   $1.98
Sweet Potatoes 5 @ 1.49per 3 lb bag                                                                 $7.45
Onions 3 @ 1.69 per 3 lb bag                                                                             $5.07
Lemons 8@ .25 each                                                                                          $2.00
Half Pork Loin                                                                                                    $9.86
Half Pork Loin                                                                                                  $10.86
Yogurt Raisins 6@1.79                                                                                     $10.74
Dried Cranberries 2@ 1.39                                                                                $2.78
Deluxe Almonds 7@ 3.99                                                                                 $27.93
Pure Vanilla 2@                                                                                                 $3.98
Shredded Cheese 4@3.29                                                                                $13.16
String Cheese 2@2.49                                                                                      $4.98
Pepper Jack blocks 4@1.79                                                                             $7.16
Grape Tomatoes 8oz clamshells 4@ .99                                                            $3.96
Cottage Cheese 3@2.29                                                                                   $6.87
Hot Dogs 4@.75                                                                                               $3.00
Turkey Bacon 4@ 2.19                                                                                     $8.76
Center Cut Bacon 4@ 3.69                                                                             $14.76
Large Eggs 9@ 1.39                                                                                        $12.51
Chunk Tuna 18 cans @ .69                                                                              $12.42
Diced Tomatoes 12@ .59                                                                                  $7.08
Raisins 2@ 1.79                                                                                                $3.58
Grape Jelly 2@ 1.69                                                                                          $3.38
Pineapple Slices 4@ .89                                                                                    $3.56
Minced Garlic 2@ 1.99                                                                                     $3.98
Baking Soda 3@ .49                                                                                         $1.47
Almond Milk 6@ 2.49                                                                                     $14.94
Olive Oil 2@ 2.79                                                                                             $5.58
Ground Turkey 10@ 1.69                                                                                $16.90
Heavy Whipping Cream 2@ 1.99                                                                      $3.98
Sour Cream 2@ 1.29                                                                                        $2.58
Mayonnaise 2@ 1.99                                                                                        $3.98
1 lb sliced lunchmeat 4@ 3.49                                                                         $13.96
Vinaigarette Dressing 4@ 1.99                                                                          $7.96
Spanish Olives 3@1.19                                                                                    $5.97
Pitted Black Olives 4 @.99                                                                              $3.96
Flat Leaf Spinach 3@ 1.69                                                                              $5.07
                                                                                                    TOTAL = 357.14

My refrigerator and freezer are now filled and ready for Spring Break, a week during which I feed not only my own, but the several neighborhood kids that find themselves at my house throughout the day, and also during which I find myself too busy to go to the store.

This week, I will grind almond meal, try making power bars, go to the museum at least once, transplant my tomato seedlings into larger containers, and try to keep up with my kids.  Wish me luck!  :-) 

I hope your Spring Break is splendiferous!

t

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Shopping 3/12/2013 - lots of reduced produce :-)

I needed to pick up some dishwasher detergent, so I made a quick trip to Harps after picking up my girls.  Lucky for me, there were several little bags on the "reduced for quick sale" shelves. YAY!

Apples      @ $.39 per lb                                      $  .70
Apples      @ $.39 per lb                                      $  .71
Oranges    @$.39 per lb                                      $  .77
Oranges    @$.39 per lb                                      $  .59
Tomatoes  @$.39 per lb                                      $  .89
Tomatoes  @$.39 per lb                                      $  .61
Bananas     @$.39 per lb                                     $  .99
Eggs 18 pack  2@2.69 each                                $5.38
Chicken Franks 2 for $2                                       $2.00
                                                    Total =            $12.64

Loads of fruit & veg for not a whole lot of money.  :-)

t









Saturday, March 9, 2013

Life leading into life and so on...

I find it interesting that once you make a decision to steer your life in one direction, how new opportunities in the direction that you have chosen seem to crop up. I have been a Frugal Fannie for a few years now, and I have been a Paleo/Primal Frugal Fannie for a little over 6 months now.

When you begin to investigate an "alternate" food life, you wind up finding so many other things that intrigue you.  Especially from Podcasts.  My all time favorite podcast has been The Paleo View. I believe that I connect with them mostly because they are moms and they wind up getting around to all of the issues that I have wondered about.  In addition to giving me very helpful information, they are also hilarious and down to earth.  Sarah and Stacy bring up all sorts of things that I have never thought of or known about.  I garner information through them, and I love learning new things each day.

I listen to other podcasts also, but The Paleo View is the one that I hit up the most often while driving around in the mini van.  Listening to a recent podcast, I heard about a "no poo" method of hair washing.  I am unsure that I will ever do it, but hearing the process, it sounds interesting.  (http://www.care2.com/greenliving/no-poo-get-beautiful-hair-with-just-baking-soda-vinegar.html)  I loved the picture, because it had Bakers Corner baking soda - yay, Aldi!

One of the frugal websites that I have found is "Budgeting With The Bushmans".  A year or so ago, I saw their DIY Compost bin,(http://www.budgetingwiththebushmans.com/2012/04/easy-diy-compost-bin.html) and I was like "Oh, I want to try that sometime." But sometime was not then.  I believe "sometime" to be now.  Not being a gardener myself, I never did get around to making that compost bin.  I think that I will be making it next week, during Spring Break.  I have 2 friends that compost, and they have agreed to show me how it is done. 

Now that I have done more research into what goes into my food, I have more motivation to start self sourcing my vegetables; a.k.a. gardening ;-) .  I love tomatoes, and since nobody in the family has any issues with nightshades, I decided that I am going to try to grow some tomatoes.  For a couple of weeks, I have been saving my eggshells in their recyclable containers to plant the seeds like this.. (http://voices.yahoo.com/photos/how-start-tomato-seeds-eggshell-5668158.html?cat=32) and yesterday the girls and I planted them.  Things 1&2 lost interest very shortly, so I wound up seeding 48 shells.  The entire process took about 2 hours, and I hope that we get many many delicious tomatoes from them.  I am also planning on trying my hand at jalapeno peppers, spaghetti squash, and zucchini.  I have an onion that sprouted on it's own in the back of my pantry.  I use the bottom of the pantry as a bit of a root cellar, since it is cool on the tile, and dark when the door in closed.  An onion had rolled into the corner and lain there un-noticed until this past Monday, when I rummaged it out of there and saw a lovely young green shoot coming out of the heart of the onion.  I need to look up how to plant it and care for it.

Another of the pages that I follow on Facebook is "Frugally Sustainable", and I have been inspired several times to jot down notes on projects that I would like to try my hands at.  I would like to make my own horehound lozenges (http://frugallysustainable.com/2011/12/horehound-lozenges-homemade-remedy-for/), my own goatsmilk soap, and my own salves (http://frugallysustainable.com/2012/02/make-your-own-medicinal-salve-a-video-tutorial/)

Lately, after a shower, I have been applying almond oil on my face.  After some weeks of doing this, I have noticed a lessening of ruddiness in my face, and today, when I spoke with an aunt, she happened to mention that she has been applying Extra Virgin Olive Oil to her skin, and she loves it.  She had read an article (in Prevention magazine, I think) about how grapeseed oil was good for your skin, and also EVOO and Almond oil are good, but that some folks have troubles with coconut oil.  In the past, she has regularly used skin creams that are in the $70.00 range, and confided to me that she was shocked about how happy she has been about transitioning to EVOO as a moisturizer.  I told her that I use almond oil on my face and coconut oil on my lips, and thanked her for the tip off to EVOO, since it is less expensive than almond oil.

The girls and I have been using a facial mix with turmeric and almond oil for some months now.  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gf02SniHJzk) The video calls for Besan flour, and since it is external, I have not altered the recipe.  I think that next time, I will try coconut flour and see if that works well too.  Instead of dairy milk, I use almond milk, because that is what I have in my house.  The first time I used this face mask, I purchased dairy milk specifically for it.  I love how sunny farahdhukai is on the video.  We also recently made her recipe for rose water, and I love it!  We use it as a de-tangler in the mornings, and I love how it makes our hair smell and feel.

Rose-water video...  (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWkwurYKpO4) I had this on the list of things that I want to try for 2013.  The next week, a door advertisement hanger had a great deal on a dozen roses from a local florist.  $9.00 for a dozen roses!  I got the roses and 2 gallons of distilled water and my almond oil all together and made the recipe on a fairly large scale in order to process all 12 roses.  Putting half the rosewater in the fridge and half in the freezer, I also keep the spray bottle in the refrigerator so that it lasts longer.  I have seen other videos of hers, and they are all full of beauty tips involving products that you can get from your local farmers market, or health food store.  I have not historically been a "girly" girl, but I am learning, along with my daughters, and it has been fun!

All of every life is a journey.  Where you are is the culmination of every choice (good, bad, or indifferent) that you have made in your life up to this point.  Sometimes, things around you seem to validate that you are on the right track, and I feel that way right now.

The more information that I get about eating ancestrally, the more I hear about other things that amuse, entertain, or intrigue me.  I hope that everyone feels that way, and is guided by the "gut feeling" when the universe seems to be talking to them in the most positive of ways.

t

365 Day Spending Fast update... January and February 2013

In January, both girls were sick at the same time, as was I, and they accompanied me to Harps to pick up some basic supplies for our group convalescence, and they had the stuffed animals out for Valentine's Day.  Both girls begged to have one, and the animals were $3.99.  In my weakened state, I caved and spent $7.98 un-budgeted dollars.  It was totally worth it.  They love the little bears, and for the duration of their illness, we sequestered all their normal toys away from the sick bed, and a nice, hot vinegar wash after sickness had gone from our home made it possible to integrate their new fuzzy friends into their every day menagerie.  :-)

In February, we went to Little Rock because Thing1 had been invited to act as a page in the Arkansas State Legislature.  This is a pretty big deal, and we were not going to have her miss out on the opportunity.  The trip, including gas, Hotel, and four meals out for four people totaled $400.00 even.  Thing1 had a friend/classmate that was also invited. Our case of strep had migrated from my child to her friend, and ultimately the mother of her friend.  It hit Friend's Mom over the weekend before our trip, so I wound up taking three little girls with me, and we had quite a good time.  Both girls that acted as pages learned a lot about how laws are passed, and how hard our local representatives work.  Both girls were chattering like magpies all the way home.

So, total expenditures not in my original budget for January and February of 2013?  $407.98

All things considered, I am okay with my end result for the first two months of my financial challenge.

I think I will will also be including my grocery totals for each month, along with my un-budgeted expenditures.  My goal is to maintain our Paleo adjacent eating and to keep it under the SNAP (Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program) guidelines each month.  For our state, for a family of 4, the full benefit amount is $668.00.

January's grocery total = $583.84 ($84.16 rollover to February)

February's grocery total = $506.65 ($181.35 rollover in February, $265.51 total rollover 2013)

t


Monday, March 4, 2013

Mini grocery trip and sweet deals... 3/4/2013

Lots of my groceries are still going strong, so I am not in need of much.  Lack of Almond Milk sent me to Harps today.  Also, Thing1 had a cavity filled this morning, and I wanted to pick up some yogurt for her convalescence.  Harps had some really good deals today, and I am super glad that I went.  As always, I checked out the not so fresh produce shelves, and I lucked into 7.77 lbs of bananas for 39 cents a pound!  Many of them are going to be fabulous and tasty over the next three or so days, and some of them need to be made into banana bread later today or tomorrow.   

Today's haul...
Bread   2x 1.09                                                                                            2.18
Bread                                                                                                           1.79
Colby Jack 2 @ 1.50                                                                                   3.00
Heavy Whipping Cream                                                                                6.29
Over-ripe bananas                                                                                        3.03
Best Choice Yogurt 10 @ .45                                                                       4.50
Minced Clams 15 @ .50                                                                               7.50
Almond Milk 2@ 3.39                                                                                  6.78
Almond Milk 2@ 3.29                                                                                  6.58
                                                                                                      Total =  41.65

Part of the heavy whipping cream will go into eggs in a bacon basket; lifting directly from this recipe on Youtube... (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1a-dV9P7Wr4)

Most of the heavy Whipping Cream will also find it's way into into a recipe inspired by Paleo Nick.  He has a video of Paleo Pesto, and I will need that for the recipe, but it is the second video that is inspiring me to use the heavy whipping cream. The plan is to mix pesto and heavy whipping cream, and serve over Spaghetti Squash with either baked chicken, or the almond meal crusted fish.  (http://www.paleoonthecheap.blogspot.com/2013/02/tilapia-with-coconutalmond-crust.html)  I will post when the meal happens. 

I plan to incorporate the clams into an etouffee, or maybe a gumbo?  I will let you know how it all shakes down.


t

Update:  The pesto sauce with Spaghetti Squash was very tasty...  http://paleoonthecheap.blogspot.com/2013/06/almond-crusted-swai.html