December 4, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 0 Comments
Look what a neighbor brought me!
December 4th, 2011~Sunday
I always feel so cared for by the Lord when I receive gifts from HIM. Last week while in the village, a neighbor dropped by to give me a bag of oranges from her tree. Wasn’t that nice?! Of course I am so thankful for her but I know that my loving Father directs these gifts to me. It’s personal.
The oranges will be perfect to serve to a guest coming, for fresh juice, and for baking an orange cake for Bible study. It feels like one of those cooking shows where the contestants are handed a picnic hamper with food in it and the chefs have to be creative and make different courses out of the ingredients.
I don’t want to waste one single precious orange!
What I have spent: 7,26€
What I have left: 2,74€
Beat and Bake Orange Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
Frosting:
6 tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
*because this frosting recipe uses so much powdered sugar, which I’m low on, I’m going to make the cake in a bundt pan and then a glaze using the powdered sugar and fresh orange juice.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour 2 – 8 inch round cake pans, loaf pan, 9×13 pan or bundt pan. In a measuring cup, combine milk, 1/2 cup orange juice, oil, beaten eggs and 1 1/2 teaspoon orange zest. Set aside.
Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Mix in sugar. Make a well in the center and pour in the milk mixture. Stir until thoroughly combined.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool.
To make Orange Butter Frosting: Cream butter until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners’ sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 tablespoons orange juice to bring to spreading consistency. Stir in vanilla and 1 teaspoon orange zest.
my beverage shelf in the pantry
Here is the beverage shelf in my pantry. I’m making HUGE progress on the ‘milk shelf’. I still have boxes of whole milk and for my non-fat milk requirements, I have a can of dried milk. The other milk products I have are: several cans of evaporated milk, one can of sweetened condensed milk & dried coconut milk. Sometimes I just forget to use the coconut milk! About the beverage section of my pantry; I have my individual juices above, and below are re-purposed plastic bottles with drinking water in case of an emergency. One the milk shelf, I would usually have it full with whole milk, 2% and non-fat. I’ve used all but the whole milk.
December 3, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 1 Comment
December 3rd,2011~Saturday
Money down the drain… wow I hate to see waste. Waste of any kind really. I’ve found that when I’m not on top of the management of my menus and kitchen, waste happens. You know, that one piece of bread that gets old or the Tupperware with cranberry sauce in the back of the fridge that spoils or that can of mandarins that I bought 3 years ago ( I confess) and now has gone bad. Probably this kind of waste is only acceptable in western societies. Do I feel guilt? No, not really, but I do feel responsible for the things that have been given to us.
Here’s a few ways to stop food waste:
Make a weekly menu plan and shop 1st in your pantry, fridge & freezer
shop with a list~see how little you can buy and how much you can use that is already in your pantry
buy the fruit & veggies you will eat instead of the whole bag~ maybe just 2 or 3.
think out-side the box. My brother-in-law Joe says that any food leftover is breakfast with an egg on top of it. John agrees and loves it. Pizza, mashed potatoes, rice casserole…
learn to make soups. That last cup of pasta would be perfect for an Italian flavored soup. I (my girls too) always make stock or soup from the turkey carcass after a holiday meal.
Did you know?:
North Americans waste about $1,000 worth of food a year?
It has been found that the main foods that are regularly thrown out are:
Bread
Apples
Potatoes
Salads – almost 50% of what we buy we throw out!
Meat and fish
Yogurts and milk
Spreads and dips
Miscellaneous:
All of our scrapes of food and egg shells are used as a supplement for our 3 hens we have in the backyard.
I freeze what is leftover~sometimes the same day I make it. This also saves on rush trips to the market or the temptation of buying fast food. It takes so little time to defrost a zip-lock bag of soup, beans or casserole I have in the freezer!
8 days left of my 30 day challenge to spend only 10euros on grocery, paper and cleaning supplies.
December 2, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 1 Comment
December 2nd, 2011~Friday
Only 9 days left! I can do it!! I was reading about saffron the other day and here is what I found:
Spain one of the largest growers of saffron, well known for it’s high cost and one of the key ingredients of the Spanish Paella. Here are some of the interesting things I’ve found out about this special spice:
Anti-Depressant ~Saffron tea has been used to treat depression. Ingesting large amounts of the tea and spice has been reported to cause feelings of happiness and joy. Some days I may need to take 2 cups! HAHAHAHA!
Saffron has traditionally been used to improve blood circulation and cure bruises in Chinese medicine. The active ingredient Crocetin may also lower blood cholesterol and triglycerides in the body and help in the treatment of atherosclerosis and arthritis.
Antioxidant Action Safranal, a constituent of saffron, is a good antioxidant and free radical scavenger.
Eye care~Studies show that saffron improves vision and is an effectual weapon to prevent age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which is the commonest cause of blindness in the elderly.
Saffron is the most expensive among spices. It is highly prized for its rich color and aroma it imparts to oriental cooking. In India, there is another popular use of saffron. It is believed that if pregnant women had saffron-mixed milk at bed time, the new born baby would have a fair complexion. So saffron is usually gifted to pregnant women by friends and relatives. Saffron is also used in many cosmetic preparations for enhancing and lightening the skin.
Anti-Cancer Benefits~Research has indicated that Crocin, Safranal and Picrocrocin from saffron may be involved in anti-cancer activity by inhibiting the growth of human cancer cells in vitro.
I always have saffron on hand in the house to make paella or just add it to rice as a side dish, but I think I’ll start brewing the stuff for John and me! It’s a lot less expensive here in Spain.
Nine more days on this grocery challenge to only spend 10€ for 30 days. The benefits:
one months grocery money SAVED
I’m using what I have in the freezer & pantry
I have more space in my fridge having used several jars of condiments
I am more organized with food prep
I have challenged myself which encourages and stimulates me
What I’ve spent: 7,26€
What I have left: 2,74€
We’re in the ‘village house’ working this week.
I’ve used up:
butter ~though I still have some in Madrid.
Also in Madrid, I’ve realized that I have no more nuts except for a handful of almonds. I’ll have to wait until after this challenge to buy some walnuts because they’ll cost more than the couple of euros I have left.
December 1, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 0 Comments
December 1st, 2011
I have spent so far: 7,26€
I have left: 2,74€ ~ Yesterday I had to buy a small jar of ‘lite mayo’ for the egg salad sandwiches. Yes, we could have eaten something else, but I was focusing on the french bread I need to use (I made canapes) and the 3 hard-boiled eggs I had. Anyway, the jar of mayo cost me, 0,65€. Funny… I have 3 jars of mayo in Madrid!
Debt-Proof Living (formerly The Cheapskate Monthly), urges that each household create and manage what she refers to as a “Freedom Account.”
Included in this account might be items such as car repairs (usually expensive; almost always unexpected), vacations (very expensive, but also very plan-able), medical bills (always expensive; almost always unexpected), six- or twelve-month insurance premiums, insurance deductibles, work clothes, Christmas gifts, and other items like these. You know all these expenses are going to show up sooner or later; with many of them, you just don’t know when.
And what about expenses like Christmas? That one hits at the same time each year. Yet people simply do not take the time to build up the necessary funds beforehand. Thus, December rolls around, and out come the handy credit cards. Next July comes through … you’re still paying for last December (not me!)
Think of the Freedom Account as a sort of holding fund. You deposit small sums into it each month because you are thinking ahead: You’re anticipating bigger, specific expenses down the road.
November 30, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 2 Comments
November 30th, 2011
This February, John and I will celebrate 44 years of marriage and in March the publication of a New Testament after years of work. Part of my goal in reducing our spending, using up what we have, and ‘making do’ is to take a mini jaunt ‘somewhere’ to celebrate these major accomplishments in our life. It gives us something to look forward to also! That’s why we do this… you know… to have some fun after months of sacrificing the little treats in order to really celebrate on the things that are important to us. So, the pennies, nickles and dimes get dropped into the piggy bank along with anticipation.
We are now in San Martin working and we went to the market to buy 1 ½ liters of non-fat milk because I forgot to bring the dried stuff with me. That was 1,09€ so now I have …. drum roll… 3,39€ left to spend…yikes… getting close…I’m not in the RED yet!!! Eleven days left!!
Breakfast:
turkey dressing with a fried egg
potato cakes
Lunch
Spaghetti and meatballs ( meatballs I canned last year) served with whole wheat pasta
peas
garlic toast
Dinner
egg salad sandwiches
pumpkin pie
We’re in the ‘village house’ we don’t have everything… but enough for the 2 of us!
November 29, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 0 Comments
November 29, 2011~ Tuesday
Everyday I’m more encouraged and thankful for the resources I have to work with. I’m getting by with what I have on hand and I’m so glad to be able to save the money and also use up what we have. Love it! I have a jar of Marmite in the fridge and I’m going to be focusing on using that up. I did this with the pesto I had. All these jars of condiments in the fridge are a blessing but also take up a lot of space.
For those of you who don’t know what Marmite is: Marmite is dark brown-colored savory spread made from the yeast that is a by-product of the brewing industry. It has a very strong, slightly salty flavor. It is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it type of food.
It comes in small (2-5 inches high) bulb-shaped glass jars with a distinctive yellow lid.
Children in Britain are generally fed it from the time they are weaned, and most never grow out of it. It has a high B-vitamin content, as well as riboflavin and niacin—and as such is very healthy. (The vitamin-B complex helps prevent anemia.)
Last week I spread it on puff pastry with shredded cheese and rolled it up, sliced & baked it as a ‘tapa’. It’s very strong and a little goes a long way.
Breakfast
The last piece of quiche and pumpkin french toast
Lunch
toasted cheese sandwiches with Butternut soup- we’re on the road today and I’ll pack a picnic.
Dinner
Cream of butternut soup
Pork & gravy over mashed potatoes
Salad
Yesterday I spent 1,25€ on a package of deli ham. My total spent for this 30 day challenge is: 5,52€; leaving me 4,48€ left to spend until December 12th.
November 28, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 0 Comments
November 28th, 2011~ Monday
Gee, I’m making good progress on the food I have in my pantry and not spending any additional money on groceries or cleaning supplies & paper products. We had 4 guests for breakfast this morning and I was able to put together a lovely breakfast without going to the market. Here is what I prepared:
pumpkin french toast
2 egg omelets ( for 4 people= 8 eggs)
toast
Apple cake
mandarins
Sausage
coffee & juice
Lunch
Turkey Chili ~ from yesterday
french bread
Dinner
toasted cheese sandwiches with grilled peppers (Spanish style)
November 27, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 4 Comments
November 27th, 2011~Sunday
I hope you’ll take the time to watch this 6:21 video I added below. The end of it is the best. It’s a great motivator to reduce spending in one area in order to have money for the things that are important to you. My 30 day challenge is to save all but 10€ of my grocery money in order to add it to the budget line items that need to be funded. It’s amazing how much we already have in our cupboards and freezers instead of going to the market to buy more.
Here’s a money saving idea for this week: instead of going out to eat after church or work this week, why not dust off that crock-pot. Put your meat & potatoes (for example) in the morning and the tasty food will be waiting for you when you return in the evening. Here’s an idea:
Easy to do & good to eat. Why go out to eat?
Crock-Pot Turkey Chili
1 lb cooked turkey (chopped)
1 small onion, chopped
1 small can chopped chilies
1 can black beans, undrained
1 can chickpeas, undrained
1 can kidney beans, undrained (or use the white beans but the red gives it a nice color)
1 large can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can tomato sauce
1-2 tablespoon chili powder, to taste
Add all ingredients to the crock-pot and cook on high for about 6 hours.
If you don’t have any leftover turkey to work with, you can use 1 lb ground turkey; browned or use chicken, pork or whatever you have.
You can serve this with rice cornbread, or tortillas.
For all of you who like to can/preserve; this would be a fantastic recipe to put together (no need to cook for 6 hours) and then pressure can. You’d have it on the shelf for the upcoming year. A healthier version of fast food.
Here are my menus for today: Breakfast
Quiche~ still leftovers!!
Lunch
Turkey tacos
salad
Mexican rice
Dinner
Turkey Chili (above) & bread
I have spent so far:
4,27€ out of the 10,00€ I budgeted; leaving: 5,73€ left to spend I am COMPLETELY out of:
Fresh tomatoes
non-fat milk~ but I have powdered
non-fat yogurt
I’m ‘making do’ without them
* I have 1 onion left but still green onions in the pot on the patio.
November 26, 2011 - Posted by pearsonsprogress - 0 Comments
November 26th, 2011
When you live on a fixed income or you can’t really increase your income, reducing expenditures can help us control our budgets and relieve some stress. I still have 5,73€ to spend on any grocery items ( and paper products) for the next 15 days. For paper napkins we are using all the little leftover ones that have ‘happy birthday’ or other printing. It does feel good to get to the bottom of some of the packages of things around the house. We’re also working though those little hotel soaps and shampoos.
