Pearsons Progress

skirt steak from the freezer

I think that skirt steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat. It cooks quickly and is tender. It’s nice in tacos too. I like my beef quite rare so it’s a 5 min. meal. It does take a few minutes to pull off the silvery membrane that it is encased in but it’s easy to do.

In my efforts to eat and empty my chest freezer, I’m accomplishing my goals of : using what I have and still staying on my diet.

Being on the DUKAN diet  is very easy for me. The meat protein is very filling and I rarely if ever need to snack in between meals.  I can make the side dishes for John, I have potatoes, rice and pasta  + frozen veggies to complete the meal for him.

A better sugar/ Christmas cookie

Instead of the  regular sugar cookie, try this one which is tender and soft. They’re a big hit in my circles.

Sour Cream Cutouts

1 cup of margarine or butter

1½ cups  of  sugar

3 eggs

1 cup of sour cream

2 t. vanilla extract

3 ½ cups of flour

2 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

In a mixing bowl butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs. Add sour cream & vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda; add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Chill dough at least 2 hours or overnight.

Roll on a heavily floured board to ¼- inch thickness. Cut with your favorite cookie cutter and bake for 10-12 minutes @ 350°.

Frost and add Christmas sprinkles if desired. * I made these year round.

A look in my freezer

Wouldn’t it be fun to empty (by eating it all) the ENTIRE freezer, save the cash and then buy some ‘new food’ or save it for something special? Ok, I confess. I love to buy meat. Just love it! I actually like to buy BIG pieces and cut it up, repackage and freeze…but, I’m controlling myself. I want to use what I have 1st!

I bet if we look at what we already have and be a little more creative, we could put on some pretty decent meals.

My freezer contents

The top photo is a shot of what I have in the chest freezer. I DO have a lot! When we have guests, I rarely put the leftovers in the refrigerator, but instead, I package them for meals for 2 and freeze them. It sure makes my life easier.

What I took out

OK, this is what I took out of the freezer for today: 1 package of beef & gravy, long German sausages, 1 package of Gouda cheese slices, 1 block of Mozzarella cheese & 3 chicken taquitos.
I cooked some fresh potatoes which I’ll rice with my handy ‘ricer’ & serve it with the beef & gravy & add a salad.
The sausage I’ll use for breakfast and for the pizza.
The Gouda will be for omelets for suppers.

Fry Bread

I also took out some Indian fry bread and will make individual pizzas with them + the mozzarella cheese and some of the sausage.

Day #30… the end of this challenge & I DID it!

HOORAY! I did it and I was able to save all but 10€ of my grocery money for (hopefully) a celebration trip with my  husband in May 2012. I’m a planner… I’ve learned that fun & relaxation just does not  happen… I have  to plan for it and create it! In any case… I was able to serve meals for 30 days using my pantry and freezer contents + the 10€ for extras.  It really is a sense of accomplishment! Ok…Will I stop here? Yes & NO. I still have a lot in the freezer… why buy more? I think actually that I’ll continue to eat out of the pantry & freezer and TRY to get to the bottom of it. It would be so great to see it empty! In fact this will be a good project for me… to pull one thing out of the freezer each day and ‘work with it’!

The last 30 days I spent: 9,84€

I have left: 0,16€

Tomorrow I’m having some ladies over from church to show them how to make some cut-out Christmas cookies. These are not your ordinary sugar cookies, but a wonderful sour cream pastry that are tender. They are a hit around here! I’ll post the recipe tomorrow.

I’ll serve the cookies and this coffee to my church friends:

Mocha-Mint Coffee

6 cups freshly brewed coffee
4 squares (1-ounce each) semi-sweet
baking chocolate, chopped
1-1/2 cups hot milk
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
8 peppermint sticks or candy canes
Pour the hot coffee into large
saucepan and stir in the chocolate. Heat
over low heat 5 minutes or until chocolate
is melted, stirring occasionally. Pour
the milk into a microwave-safe container
and heat on high for 1 to 2 minutes,
or until hot (or heat in another saucepan
over medium high heat until hot, not
boiling). Add milk and extract to the
coffee chocolate mixture; stir until well
blended. Carefully ladle into 8 mugs.
Garnish each serving with a peppermint
stick. Yield: 8 servings.

Day #29~ one day left!

I have some celery in the fridge and this looks like a good soup for a cold weather we have. I’ve included the recipe below.

This, the day before the end of my efforts to spend only 10€ in 30 days has been a huge hit. We continue to eat well, all the while reducing some of the freezer and panty stock.  Yesterday I bought 2 quark (like sour cream) that cost me 2,58€ for a cookie teaching class I will give on Monday. That leaves me 0,16€ Only sixteen cents!!! I’m very encouraged I have been able to reduce my spending!

Cream of Celery Soup

Homemade and healthy too!

2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoon all purpose flour
2 stalks of celery, chopped fine
½ cup chicken stock
½ cup milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Heat olive oil in a 1 qt saucepan, then add celery and sauté’ until crispy tender approximately 5 minutes.  Add flour and cook while stirring until liquid is smooth for 1 minute. Slowly add the chicken stock, then add the milk and stir until the liquid is smooth then slow simmer for an additional 15 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste then serve.

Day #28 Can less be more?

Two days left  to complete this grocery challenge. It’s just amazing how easy it’s been. I still have 2,74€ left of the original 10€ I started with. Here is an interesting video with some challenging and thought provoking ideas.  It’s definitely  an alternative way to think. Let me know what you think.

Day #27~3 more days and the PARETO PRINCIPLE

December 8th, 2011 and I still have 2,74€ of the original 10€ for the 30 day period.

The Pareto Principle

The Pareto Principle suggests that we use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time. We’ve been in the same house for over 11 years  if you’re anything like me you have entirely too many clothes and other possessions. I’m willing to bet that you wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time, and the ratio of use is probably similar with your other possessions. Instead of storing a bunch of stuff you don’t need, take the clothes to a consignment shop, garage sale or sell  your ‘stuff’ on eBay or Amazon.com. I’m working on this in my own life and I want to keep only the stuff that I use/like.

..

Day #26 Only 4 days left for my grocery challenge

  “A penny saved is a penny earned.” -
  —  Benjamin Franklin

“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty.
  —  Socrates

Proverbs 24:3-4
Through wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; and by knowledge the rooms shall be filled with all precious and pleasant riches.

Proverbs 27:23
Know well the face of your flocks; and pay attention to your herds.

Proverbs 10:4
Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich.

Proverbs 16:8 Better is a little with righteousness than great income with injustice.

Here’s an idea to track your spending:

The most important thing is to carry around a little notebook. Every time you get money whether it’s from a paycheck or a garage sale or picking up change from the ground;write it down. Every time you spend money whether it’s paying bills or buying coffee or paying bus fare write it down. Try keeping track of every penny that enters or leaves your life.

Tracking your spending helps to demystify money you begin to perceive it as a tool. You gain a sense of power & you no longer feel that money controls you, but that you control your finances. Your awareness of your money habits is sharpened, allowing you to make changes to improve your situation. This is an essential money skill, and it’s easy.

This exercise may lead you to change spending habits.

Here are some pointers:

• Be careful with transactions that are easy to forget. Some transactions cash transactions, online transactions, transactions without a receipt  are quickly forgotten.
• Get a receipt for everything. It’s easy to forget were you spent your money on just 24 hours later. Make a habit of putting all your receipts in one place so that you know where to find them.
• It’s best to process your transactions daily. I find this easiest but some prefer to do it weekly. Takes minutes!
• Make it a routine. If you get into the habit of tracking your spending, it becomes second nature.
• As always, do what works for you. No one system is perfect for everybody. The important thing is to track your spending.

This process paints a picture of your spending habits as they actually exist, not as you think they exist. You can use this information to create a budget. Or, at the very least, to serve as snapshot of where your money goes.

Day #25 the joy of giving

WOW… 5 days left of my CHALLENGE to spend only 10€ in 30 days on food, cleaning products & paper products. I still have 2,74€ left! I also went to the pantry and found another bottle of fabric softener that I thought I was almost out of and 1 more box of laundry detergent. I really want to use what is in my panty and ‘shop’ there 1st!

Giving.  I wish I could give more.  I personally have been given so much. SO SO much. In fact, a lot of what I blog about is a result of those gifts to ME. Cake mixes, corn bread mixes, chocolate chips etc…. too many to name.

I feel blessed when I can give someone something. It can be ‘tithing’ what comes from my garden or my hens, a coffee I invite someone to share  or a Bible verse I send to someone.   I feel joy when I give..  the little do! Saving money and reducing expenditures gives me a little more  freedom to share with others. It’s not all about money … time is such a great gift! For sometime now, my personal little project has been to try to give away 3 ‘blessings’ a day. Nothing fancy just something to share with someone else.

Here are some ideas:

• make a cake and send ½ over to a neighbor
•  baby-sit for a friend for 2 hours so she can just read!
• grow something in your garden and plan to grow enough to share… no matter how small you garden.
• clean out your closet and give clothes to the good-will.
• when you hear of a financial need at church, give what you can anonymously.
• buy a candle for your holiday table and another one to give away.
• send a Bible verse to a person who needs encouragement
• invite someone to dinner
• donate to the food drive
• visit someone in the nursing home or hospital.
•  serve in your church ~try to give more than you receive
• be that person who brings the cookies to Bible study
• send flowers to someone… just because
• give a Bible or New Testament to someone
• make a long distance phone call to encourage someone
• give someone your attention and listen to THEM
• read a book and pass it on

Well, the list is endless. It’s impossible for me to give more than what I receive.

Do you really want to really pull the plug on your greed? Become a giver. Giving away some of what is most precious to you—your money—is the ultimate thank-you note. Giving opens the door to God’s blessings and your eyes to see the big picture. It allows us to view the world through new eyes of compassion. Giving is an outward expression of a personal affirmation that no matter how bleak your situation may appear, you really do have enough.  Lord, help me be creative and open my eyes to what’s around me. AMEN

Day #24 food challenge continues… 6 more days…

December 5th, 2011~Monday & I still have 2,74€!

I’ve learned that my meals don’t need to be extravagant.

As I searched my pantry & fridge, I found several cans of tomato sauce, plenty of eggs & rice.  At first I thought they might be good for lunches, but then I realized that John would love that Spanish classic meal of rice (with garlic), tomato sauce and a fried egg on top for any meal. That’s not even close to what I usually make for dinner since our dinners are usually the meat-potato-vegetable variety.

But in the spirit of the grocery challenge; not to mention eating less meat, I’ll  serve this  for dinner one night.  It doesn’t seem like much of a dinner, but it will be a hit!  Preparation will be quick,  our meal will be enjoyable, and clean-up easy too.

I realized that maybe I’ve been making things too hard–and too expensive at the same time! Simple is good.