Pumpkin Pancakes

Oct 19, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money

pancakes

Here is my recipe for pumpkin pancakes; perfect for autumn breakfasts. What I do is mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, cover  it with plastic wrap the night before and then just add at wet ingredients the next morning.

* I also measure a can of pumpkin out in ½ cup portions and freeze them. I defrost in a small bowl the night before.

This is a super good money saving site!

Sep 15, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    2 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, saving money

Our daughter Rebekah told me about this great  website Read more »

$40 for 1 month of Groceries

Sep 13, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, saving money

Read more »

Canning Beef Stew

Jan 6, 2010 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Canning/Preserving, recipes, saving money

Beef Stew

After Christmas Anita and I went to Makro (the Spanish version of SAM’s Club or COSTCO) so she could buy Read more »

Day 17 My Grocery Savings Plan

Nov 5, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    4 Comments    Posted under: Grocery Challenge, recipes, saving money

Day 17

I spent today: 11,50€

1 dozen eggs- 1,50€ (village food cost more and I forgot to bring my eggs!)

2.5 kilos of pork- 10,00€

Total spent for the past 17days: 70,35€

Average per day: 4,13€

NOT great if we are eating all of that food but these are meats that I have canned. Today I canned 39 jars of meat; both ground beef in 3 flavors; taco, southwest and fajita,  and pork in taco flavor.

The idea may interest you from the standpoint that if you have canned meats on your shelves, then you have the makings for many “instant” meals. For instance, Seasoned Ground Beef can become:

• Sloppy Joes
• Spaghetti Sauce, when added to your home-canned sauce
• Pizza topping
• Casseroles
• Instant Soups, when combined with your home-canned vegetables
• Tacos
• the list can go on and on, just use your imagination.

Won’t it be nice to have canned meat for quick meals right there on your shelf and  less time to cooking when guests come or you’re just busy with other things?

Here are the photos:

Day 16 My Grocery Saving Plan

Nov 4, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Gardening, Grocery Challenge, saving money

Day #16: We  traveled to the village today. We actually left a bit late, and got to the house at 8pm. We stopped in Coria to buy a few groceries. I plan on canning the hamburger for future meals.  No one calls, no meetings… just work and I have time to CAN! I love that.

Spent today: 39,35€

1,35-€ mushrooms

37,20€- 8 kilos of hamburger (that’s 17lbs 6 oz)

0,60 cents-1 liter of whole milk-(John drinks whole milk)

0,20 cents-1 onion

1,55 euros-2 romaine lettuce

Spent the last 16 days: 58,85€ (but most of it is for the future.. canned ground beef)

Average spent per day: 3,67€  per day

Meat… I love the stuff! I especially like to can it. Last year for Christmas, John gave me a pressure canner and a couple hundred jars and 800 lids. I’ve run down my ‘stock’ considerably  and I can’t stand to see those empty jars, so when I have a few days in my otherwise busy schedule, I prepare for a canning session. For me, there is a tremendous satisfaction in seeing the fruits of my labor on the shelves.

Did I mention how handy it is? I can the hamburger for example, with different spices added. Some may be taco flavor, or sloppy Joe flavor. Some with chili powder or onions and garlic or Italian seasoning. When I have a recipe I want to prepare, I just open a jar or 2 of the hamburger… ready to go. No defrosting or panic if I have unexpected guests come for a meal. I’m pretty well set all of the time.

Blessings!! Today I received a package from my friend Joye. It was the mother-load of things I love! Here is what she sent:

1 movie

7 cans of jalapenos (really needed those!)

2 cans of cranberry sauce

2 boxes of pie crust mix

2 popcorn balls

wow! we are very thankful and blessed by these treats. All these foods we can‘t get here and how helpful for my Thanksgiving feast! We are humbled by the Lords goodness to us.

Day 15 My Grocery Spending Plan

Nov 4, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, saving money

Day 15:

Still my total for spending the last 15 days is: 19,50€

Spent today: $0

I’m still pretty weak and tired from having the flu this week but well enough to starting thinking about preparing food again. We’re finishing up with the last of the  casserole and other leftovers but am looking at making some macaroni & cheese with that piece of ham in the fridge. I think I’ll try to make it tomorrow when we arrive in the village for work.

I had cleared my schedule these past few days but I have a meeting tonight  and one tomorrow before we leave.

I may spend money tomorrow on hamburger & ground pork because I want to can (preserve)  while I’m in the village. It’s handy for me to have preserved/canned meat on the shelf since we lead such a busy life. My dear sister-in-law Vanita sent me some spices that I can add to the jars before I pressure cook/can them. Canning meat & chicken is one of my favorite things to do.

The American Frugal Housewife by Lydia M. Child

Mar 3, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Bobbie's Store, saving money, What we're Reading

What an interesting little book this is:

Originally published in 1832, this extraordinary manual for the homemaker of modest means is far more than a mere “cookbook.”

Here is a quote:

“The true economy of housekeeping is simply the art of gathering up all the fragments, so that nothing be lost. I mean fragments of time, as well as materials. Nothing should be thrown away so long as it is possible to make any use of it, however trifling that use may be; and whatever be the size of a family, every member should be employed either in earning or saving money.”

What a blessing for me as a mom, to see my children, not only loving the Lord, but as wise ‘keepers at home’.

or how about this one:

“In the country, where grain is raised, it is a good plan to teach children to prepare and braid straw for their own bonnets, and their brothers’ hats.”

OOOOkay… I’ll get right on that!!

Here’s one that we all need to HEED!

“It is wise to keep an exact account of all you expend—even of a paper of pins. This answers two purposes; it makes you more careful in spending money, and it enables your husband to judge precisely whether his family live within his income. No false pride, or foolish ambition to appear as well as others, should ever induce a person to live one cent beyond the income of which he is certain. If you have two dollars a day, let nothing but sickness induce you to spend more than nine shillings; if you have one dollar a day, do not spend but seventy-five cents; if you have half a dollar a day, be satisfied to spend forty cents.”

Now, isn’t that the wisest advice? How can we encourage each other in this? Well, I will encourage YOU by sending this on.

You can find this book right here on my blog. Just follow these instructions:

At the top of this blog page.

• go to Bobbie’s Store
• then, on the right hand side, you will see  categories
• Click on: ‘cookbooks and canning’
• then… click on:page 2
• the book is available there for $3.16. A bargain!!

We all need this practical wisdom NOW.

Be blessed and encouraged! ~Bobbie

The Greenhouse

Feb 24, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    6 Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Gardening, Grocery Challenge

Here’s the progress on my plants in the greenhouse. Mind you, I’m only interested at this time in growing vegetables. This my attempt to squeeze every penny (euro cent) to death! My goal is to grow 100% of the lettuce we eat (we’d like to eat 2 salads a day) and hopefully the rest of the vegetables too…though I have not been able to see how I can do that yet.

Let me explain to you my “program”. Remember you can see a larger version of the photo by clicking on it.

This is a photo of the outside of the little greenhouse. You can see some of my plants though the plastic.

Here’s another view as I’m standing in the doorway. The 2 big pots are potatoes. The others have already been placed in the garden outside as the weather has warmed.

You can see the lettuce growing and the other containers are: lettuce, mint, oregano, par-cel, basil, mixed greens, dill, eggplant, tomatoes, cilantro, tomatillo, green beans, crookneck squash, chives, & arugula. Thanks to Mary, Jesseka and Rebekah for the seeds!

Here is the other side, on the top row, I have lettuce at various stages. My hope is that I can harvest enough each day to never run out. I’ve also planted some in my garden, with high hopes of a good production. I have scallions, cherry tomatoes, micro-greens, potatoes in various stages, cilantro and parsley.

I have cilantro in the garden plus 3 pots growing as above and 3 more trays waiting to germinate. Cilantro is not that common here and I can find it only at one store, plus, it’s expensive. Thanks again to my MOM for sending me the seeds!

Here is a close-up of some lettuce. It’s very tender and I just pick off what I need for the meal.

By the by, all the ‘trays’ you see, are what meat and vegetables come in here. I simply wash them out, add potting soil and plant. It also keeps my greenhouse more organized.

Each tray is labeled with a popsicle stick that I bought at a craft store in Chicago. I bought large ones and small ones. This is a very  cheap solution to keeping track of what I’m planting. For only a few $ I have enough to last for years and years.

I hope the next photos I post will be of lush plants in very pot! So far, the lettuce, dill, oregano, cilantro, some scallions, micro-greens and arugula are “up”. I water once a day… spend 10 mins. enjoying the new growth and it gets me out of the house and office and I’m having a good time. Growing vegetables gives me hope.

Taking advantage of seasonal food

Feb 21, 2009 by pearsonsprogress    1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, recipes

Upon returning  home from Chicago, I found that there were several opportunities to buy fruit and vegetables at really good prices.

• a 5 kilo bag of carrots @,45 “euro cents” a kilo
• apples for ,69 cents a kilo
• plums for ,69 cents a kilo

I also brought back 2 ½ pounds of fresh jalapeños from Chicago. Our daughters, Jesseka and Jerusha have access to a wonderful ethnic market. They have great prices and foods from all over the world. I’ve not been able to find jalapeños in Spain. As I have mentioned before, Spaniards are not accustomed to eating hot or spicy food.

I’m so glad that our granddaughter, Abigail was here to join in on this fun activity. Here are some photos: (for a larger view, run your cursor over the photo and ‘click’).

We made:

• Applesauce
• Apple Maple Jam (really good stuff!)
• canned jalapeños
• pickled hot carrots & jalapeños
• plum jam
• canned carrots for soups and stews

We are adding good food, at excellent prices to our larder. I’m planning that after 1 full year of taking advantage of all the sales and seasonal food, I’ll have a little bit of everything, all the best prices, thereby stretching diminishing good dollars.