Financial Priorities

Apr 17, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, Grocery Challenge, saving money

John and I are able to get the American news here in Spain and sometimes it’s such an eye opener! We heard that some people say that in order to save money they should try to cook & eat a home a couple times a week. WHAT?! Did we hear that right? we thought it was the other way around… you know… eat at home with the special treat of going out to eat maybe once or twice a week. We know of people who eat out everyday and can’t get a hold of their finances, have debt and struggle financially. There seems to be a serious disconnect.

John & I actually go to restaurants here, maybe 3 or 4 times a YEAR. I realize that we’re probably pretty different in that regard but here are a few thoughts on the ‘why’ we make these choices.

1. We ask ourselves, ” would we rather have several meals and activities throughout the week, or have a good annual vacation?”  If going out to the movie theater costs $30 for 2 (admission & snacks), would we have just as much fun downloading a flick from the internet or even buying a DVD for our video library and making some popcorn at home?   We’re all different with different priorities,  preferences & budgets but we’d opt for a week long holiday/vacation, & save our cash for that.
2. When I go out to eat, I like it to be special, you know, to eat something that I can’t make at home myself.  I love a good (emphasis on good) Chinese restaurant or Mexican if I’m in the USA, but chicken and pasta or pizza I can make at home. If the on the west coast; Jack-in the Box tacos… don’t know what they are made of and probably don’t want to know… but they are a taste from our childhood! I couldn’t duplication them if I tried for years!
3. I actually like the challenge of taking basic ingredients and making a tasty meal. Nothing special, high tech or gourmet… just good food. I have kids who really can make some yummy dishes. Each with their own style… wow, so much to learn from them! One of my favorite dishes is a recipe from our daughter-in-law, Cheri, who has shared her recipe for enchiladas… super fattening & super good.
4. I like the ‘feeling’ of using my resources well and I don’t like the ‘feeling’ of waste.
5. Time is an important resource for me also and a good crock-pot meal will take less time putting it together than hopping in the car to bring home dinner and at a fraction of the cost.

When you’re sick you need chicken soup

Apr 16, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, saving money

What a crummy way to spend a weekend! Yep, the flu has come to our house…first for John and now for me. He has always been a ‘sharer’.
Who’s hungry when you have an achy body and a sore throat?! All I could think about was chicken soup… you know the brothy kind that you don’t have to chew very much.. I went to the pantry to see if I had one of those little packets of chicken noodle they sell in the USA. No such luck. I opened my freezer and found a chicken back (I save them when I cut up whole chickens) so I took it out, hucked it into my soup pot with a diced onion, & garlic. About an hour later I took all the bits of meat off the bone, added a handful of mini star pasta, & corrected the seasoning. That was my supper and boy, I was thankful. I could have added that carrot I have in the fridge and other veggies… but I was too weak for that. Making my homemade chicken noodle soup, was almost as easy as opening a packet. I have enough for my meals today too. Ok… back to bed…

Fried Rice… Using up that last pork chop

Apr 15, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, recipes, saving money

Last week I made pork chops and we ended up with 1 lone pork chop leftover. A thrifty way I stretch this into a whole meal is to make fried rice. I don’t use a recipe but here’s what I do:

• I cut all the meat off the bone and into small pieces; could be chicken, shrimp, pork beef, what ever you have; cooked or raw.
• I made a pot of rice; ½ for the fried rice and the other ½ for other dishes we will eat this week.
• I prep all the veggies I have on hand. This time I used 1 carrot,  ½ bag and fresh spinach,  ½ onion, 1 hand full of frozen peas, 2 leeks, 2 garlic, the last couple of celery stocks that I had, ½ zucchini. I cut all in slices or on the diagonal.
• Heat up vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet. I like the ‘roominess’  of the wok.
• To very hot and abundant oil I add one beaten egg. In just under a minute it will be cooked and I take it out, slice it and leave it to the very end and add it just before serving.
• in the same oil, I add the meat, the carrot and zucchini… all in a very hot wok.
• then all the other veggies
• I add whatever seasoning I want… any  or a couple of: sesame oil ( it’s a flavoring not a frying oil), red hot curry paste, soy sauce, oyster sauce and/or rice vinegar. Today I used  the hot curry paste… it’s VERY spicy.
• add the cooked rice
• adjust seasonings
• If I have cashews, peanuts or almonds on hand, I will  add a handful + the scrambled egg right before serving.

It has protein from the meat and egg, the starch from the rice and all the yummy vegetables. It’s very nice with broccoli when I have it. This is not a dish I serve to guests, just a mid-week meal that goes a long way. There are always leftovers, which make a good breakfast with an egg on top.

Veggies in the Fridge

Apr 14, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, Gardening, saving money

  My focus for this upcoming week will be to use the vegetables I have in the fridge. Sometimes it’s good to take everything out, make a list and incorporate them into meals to prevent waste. I do my marketing once a month, use my fresh veggies on hand and then move to the the canned and frozen vegetables I have.

Until my cupboards/pantry/freezer are reasonably bare, I will continue to work on my existing budget of 50€ a month (about $67 USD per month, at the current exchange rate). For the month of April, I have about 4,55€ left, which is plenty for that odd baguette I may need or a head of lettuce. I’m actually more likely to whip up some pita bread or Navajo fry bread than buy bread.

I have diced green & red pepper in the freezer if I need those of a recipe.

List of veggies I have:

1 tomato
1 small head of Romaine lettuce
2½ zucchini squash

12 potatoes

3 onions

4 carrots

a few celery stocks

1 lemon

2 ½ limes

fresh cilantro

fresh garlic

2 leeks

½ bag of fresh spinach

4 Simple ways to save on Veggies:

1. Seasonal produce is cheaper produce.  If it’s the dead of winter, frozen is the way to go.
2. Use the leftovers + cooking liquid for making cream of vegetable soup.
3. When in season or at a good price, I buy extra to freeze or can so that I can bank the savings  year round.
4. grow what you can… even if it’s just parsley in a pot on the patio.

Friday’s Pasta Time + saving $$

Apr 13, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, saving money

   Friday  is pasta meal at our house. Since John and I eat our main meal of the day at 2pm, I’ll serve it then. Supper is generally something light.

In an effort to use what I have on hand and not let anything go to waste, today I have taken some Bolognese sauce out of the freezer that I  made 2 weeks ago; leftover from the lasagna making I did. I have some ricotta cheese which I will add to it for a creamy texture. I have a box of Maniche Rigate for the pasta. I’ll top the whole dish off with some grated Parmesan cheese.  A  side salad and fried baguette in olive oil will finish off the meal.

Menu for today:

1st plate: Cream of vegetable soup

2nd plate: Pasta with meat sauce

salad

Bread

Chocolate cake
GOALS:

• use what I have in the pantry/freezer
• save money
• make healthy meals

Guest Recipe… Zucchini Enchiladas

Mar 30, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    7 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, food, recipes, saving money

Thank you to Jerusha for including this recipe. It looks very yummy and I can’t wait to try it. Please send in your comments!

Zucchini Enchiladas

I have probably made this recipe at least 10 times since my sister-in-law first introduced it at our family reunion last year. It’s inexpensive, healthy, and full of bright and tangy flavors – all the elements of a great recipe. Serve it along with a green salad tossed with yellow peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro-lime dressing.

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• 3 medium zucchinis, grated
• Kosher salt & fresh ground pepper to taste
• 1 ½ cups grated Mexican blend cheese
• 10-12 small flour tortillas
• 1 small can green enchilada sauce
• Chopped cilantro (optional)
• Lime wedges (optional)

Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a medium nonstick skillet, sauté garlic and scallions in olive oil over medium heat for about 3 minutes; add zucchini, cilantro, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook about 4-5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add 1/2 cup cheese; mix well. Divide zucchini between each tortilla, roll and place seam side down in baking dish.

Top with enchilada sauce and remaining cheese and bake until hot and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. Top with chopped cilantro and serve with lime wedges, if desired.

~ Jerusha Gish

Bread baking

Feb 9, 2012 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: Baking, saving money

Bread baking day. The house smells good, the bread tastes better…saves money. This time I made one nut and seed loaf, one with Parmesan cheese with hot peppers & cinnamon rolls.