Feeding Six on a Pound of Hamburger

I never know what is for dinner most days .. until mid-day .. or a family member calls at 4PM to ask, 'what's for dinner tonight .. I'm starved' .. There are so many things to weigh (LOL).  What green to serve (salad, slaw, broccoli, green beans .. and what have we already eaten this week .. have to mix it up) .. what veggie .. what starch .. what meat.  I try not to serve heavy meat dishes but once a week .. that means the other dinners will be in the form of soups, stews, pasta, rice or potato casseroles .. salads .. or even breakfast in the form of omelets, waffles .. etc.  Last night I made .. let me think what to call it .. humm ..??  Sauteed mushroom/ground steak gravy .. served over mashed potatoes .. with a side of fresh garden corn on the cob (plucked from the freezer), and a delicious tangy coleslaw with vinaigrette dressing.  Hummm .. HOBO gravy .. nah .. Steak gravy .. nah .. How about:  Mrs. Mac's Meaty Mushroom Gravy?

I swear .. the family thought they had died and gone to heaven with this dish.  Tasted as good as a Sunday afternoon pot roast meal .. at about 1/4 the cost and time to make.
 

Mrs. Mac's Meaty Mushroom Gravy

1 pound ground beef (ya know the kind .. grass fed and local;)

1/2 cup dehydrated mushrooms (soaked in 1 cup of water .. save the water) .. or substitute a cup of fresh mushrooms .. sliced or diced as you like

1/2 cup diced yellow or white onion

salt, pepper .. dash of soy sauce if you wish .. few drops of Kitchen Bouquet for color if you have it on hand

2-3 cups beef stock or mushroom water or a mix

2-3 tablespoons organic corn starch

Directions:

In a large hot cast iron skillet .. put a pat of butter and add the mushrooms .. let them sit a bit to brown before stirring them .. then add the onion and saute them for a minute.  Push the mushrooms and onions to the sides and add the ground beef .. searing it before stirring .. you want it to brown up to give the gravy good flavor and color.  Mix well with the mushrooms and onions.  Really break up the meat to a fine consistency. If the meat has a lot of fat .. drain off all but about 1-2 tablespoons.  Mix the 2-3 cups liquid with the corn starch in a shaker jar.  Slowly add it to the browned beef and stir it well .. it will start to thicken.  You may need to add more liquid. Stir well.  Add/taste/adjust the seasonings.  Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. 

Small Steps

Big gains. 


It's hard to remember shopping with store coupons for ready made food products.  Our food bill was about double what it is now.  The change to eating whole foods started off slowly and has snowballed.  A little step here and there has added up to a total makeover with more changes to follow.  Having a set amount of cash to shop with each month, slowly stocking up on single item pantry/freezer goods (flour, eggs, veggies, meat .. etc) .. makes for quick meal preparation and planning.  Purchasing went from several times a week to once or twice a month.  Honestly .. yesterday was big shopping day for the month of November.  Our budget is $400 cash (family of four); this does not include much meat as that is separately budgeted and purchased from a local ranch each summer and kept in a chest freezer.  Having a well stocked pantry, I came home with only four bags of grocery staples.  Milk, cheese, spices, potatoes, tea, chips, etc. leaving me $220 until the end of the month.  Over the summer, the garden and local u-pick farm supplied fresh produce, much of which has been frozen, canned or dried for winter's use.  Buying and growing locally usually ensures better quality.  Getting to know the farmer and their farming practices helps when making choices outside of your own garden.  Separate freezer space allows for extra gallons of milk to be stored until needed, eliminating that dash to the market (that turns into a $20 shopping spree).  Milk and hard cheese both freeze beautifully.  Just remember to pour a little out of the carton to allow for expansion; the extra can be put in a wide-mouth labeled mason jar and frozen.  When we are out of milk it's nice to have a few cups in the freezer to tide us over until shopping day.  Learning to budget food has taken about six months.  Eliminating convenience foods has freed up dollars to buy good quality staples such as flour, oil, milk, produce, etc.  With the exception to canning and bread making, cooking from scratch takes no more time than ready made convenience food with practice.  Adapting our favorite family recipes to be more nutritiously prepared has won over my family to eat better. 

photo by Mrs. Mac

Yesterday's lesson:  Everyday I try to learn something new in the kitchen.    My husband and daughter still prefer those yummy-foo-foo sweetened (FAKE) creamers.  Thinking outside of the BIG BOX store mentality, (and not having the money in the budget for their 'desires') I purchased half-and-half and doctored it up, making it a little less sweet and without all the FAKE chemicals.  We call it Autumn Carmel Spice Coffee Creamer, they're hooked :)  .. I'll drink mine black or with a splash of milk.  You can make flavored creamers using a similar method and your flavor of choice.

Autumn Carmel Spice Coffee Creamer:

1/2 pint good quality half and half (the only ingredients should be cream and milk)
1 Tablespoons organic sucanant (unrefined sugar)
2-3 Tablespoons organic raw sugar
dash of cinnamon
small pinch of sea salt
1 Teaspoon good quality pure vanilla flavoring (watch the ingredients .. they should all be pronounceable and familiar ones:)


Put a few tablespoons of half and half in a small sauce pan.  Add the sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt.  Stir over medium heat for just a moment until the sugars dissolve.  Do not let it come to a boil or the butterfat will separate and float on top of your coffee (bleck).  Slowly add the additional half and half and the vanilla.  Stir until well mixed.  Cool and pour back in the carton .. marking it as flavored coffee creamer.

The road to better nutrition is as individual as each family.  Do you have a favorite shopping strategy?

Just Dessert

Last night we had dinner with neighbors and friends.  I was asked to bring the dessert.  OK .. I've given up sugar .. but caved in and made a lemon meringue pie ;)  The point here is that by keeping a well stocked pantry/fridge/freezer with whole food items, I was able to throw together a 'peach' of a pie in no time.  With the ingredients on hand, I could have made a chocolate, rhubarb, apple, cherry, or peach pie as well.  Who needs Betty Crocker or Sara Lee .. or Mrs. Smith?  It is far more economical to learn to make your own pie .. or cake .. or whatever, than relying on a boxed/frozen store bought product.  Take the time to learn to bake.  Teach your children how to as well; you will save money in the long run, expose yourself to far fewer artificial ingredients, and pass on a much desired skill to the next generation.  Bye-bye Betty!

It's A Wrap

Can you believe April has come and gone.  So much education in regards to sound economics has taken place this month at The Thrifty Garden/Home.  I have already figured out the household budget for May and have committed it to a spreadsheet.  Having such  .. an on target .. to the penny success with the April budget, I'm going to change grocery shopping gears to be even more thought out.  I can not lower the $ amount of $350 for the month ... but I have made plans to shop only once for May.  This will take a considerable will power on the entire family's part.  Since we got our paycheck a day early and I had the budget done ... I took the opportunity to do the actual shopping yesterday when I had no kids to watch. The pantry shelves, refrigerator .. and freezers are stocked.  I have taken a Sharpie marker and written on many of the items, that have to be rationed (when they can get used) and stored the excess in my basement's storage room (out of sight;)  ... Everyone got a 'warning' that if they used up any of the rations beforehand ... they will be SO SORRY!;)  I'm confident that everyone is on board with the plan.  It was almost comical towards the end of April when we were running out of food items (flour/butter .. etc.) .. and I had to get very creative with meal plans ... but everyone survived without having to chew a foot off;)   I did set aside $50 to supply extra fruit & produce .. sparingly when needed in May.  This has been a GREAT learning process ... and makes me understand why my (Great Depression era) MIL would often re-use teabags ... and my FIL would just put another scoop of coffee grounds in the coffee maker, on top of the morning's used grounds, for a noon time pot of coffee ...  we haven't gone that far YET:)  What's the thriftiest thing your family practices at home?

End Of The Month Round Up

Yes, $350 +$20 from fire fighter son has been a tight squeeze for food funds.  We have four days to go until PAYDAY ...  You can bet I already have my shopping list ready and waiting!  Hubby was looking for   crackers today ... sorry ... you have to WAIT until shopping day (I haven't bought crackers for months because most are filled with JUNK).  I offered him some carrot sticks and a chunk of cheese ... saying dinner is in 45 minutes ;)  (He survived)  Our freezer food is being used up ... and fast.  If my planning is good, we have just enough frozen berries, freezer jam, and hopefully beef to last until summer when I restock for the year.  Tonight I made venison meatloaf (no one asked about the 'mystery' meat), steamed carrots, and potato salad.  The ten pounds of organic carrots earlier this month was a good buy.  They come in handy for snacks ... and as a side dish. The hardest part of making all of our food is not running out of bread.  I have to stay on top of this .. which is not always easy; one day soon I'll stock the freezer with a few extra loaves.  I have $2 and some spare change from this month's budget, Yippee!  Proposed meals from what we have on hand this week:

Dinners

• dinner omelets with biscuits and jam
• turkey noodle soup with a green salad
• buffalo stew
• tacos with refried beans

Lunches

• egg salad sandwiches
• veggie sticks with grilled cheese sandwiches
• leftover soup with veggie sticks
• taco salad (from leftover dinner tacos)

Breakfasts 

• buttermilk pancakes
• oatmeal
• blueberry muffins with smoothies
• eggs & toast

Ten Day Countdown

This week I entered our budget on my computer program's spreadsheet (Microsoft Works Monthly Home Budget).  This has proven a much better option to pen and paper as I can do a little fudging with the numbers much easier than erasing and correcting the paper version.  Also, at the beginning of the month I can enter a minimum (fixed) salary amount ... and in the next column enter the actual salary after payday.  This is very helpful for people that have fluctuation in their monthly pay.  I set the budget on the minimum fixed amount so I know the least amount of money to budget.  It's a blessing when I can go back later and enter the actual salary and fatten up some of the categories if we get more income.

We're in the final stretch of April.  I have exactly $50 grocery money to last to the end of the month.  I think this is doable!  This means our family of four (often 5 & 6 from son and grandson) survived on $370 worth of whole food groceries ... a family record!  Do you keep track of spending?  It's amazing how much more aware you become when you have a budget worksheet to keep you on track.

picture image from here

Pinching Pennies ... Frugal Advice From The Ultimate Cheapskate

Yahoo news has an article today featuring author Jeff Yeager.  He has written a book titled, The Ultimate Cheapskate's Roadmap to True Riches.  He says, "We shouldn't be asking ourselves "How can we afford it?" We should instead be asking, "Do we really need it?"  Here is the article in full for your Saturday read.  Mr. MacFrugal and I have been sticking with Dave Ramsey's program, The Total Money Makeover, paying off debt at the speed of a gazelle!  Once you get on board with the debt elimination process, it becomes somewhat of a game trying to be frugal.  You know, living off beans and rice, rationing, doing without, etc.  

Today my daughter Ann asked if we had any organic sugar for her morning coffee ... I said all I have is plain old brown sugar sweetie ... it's out of the budget this month.  Do you really need sugar in your coffee ... try it with or without the brown stuff.  She's catching on and becoming a convert to all things frugal.  Tomorrow night we are inviting the family out to dinner at a restaurant.  A rarity around here living on a shoe string.  But, we've saved up enough money and want to get together ... here's the stipulation.  Dad is handing each adult child a set amount of money.  Individually or as a couple, they have to order and pay for their own meal(s).  If they go over, the cost difference is on them.  You won't believe how much money a family night dinner would cost when dad was paying for everyone without any limits.  I'm sure they will all be ordering water as their beverage of choice if they have to be creative with funds.  Our latest money idea is to eliminate buying everybody individual Christmas gifts .. instead opting for drawing names from a hat.  Maybe tomorrow night will be a good time to draw names.  Then we can take our time figuring out what would be a nice gift to purchase ... and maybe even find it on sale this summer.  I can just imagine how much less stress this will cause come Christmas.

What about you ... are you in a frugal mode?  Do you have any frugal ideas that are working with your family? What's the biggest savings plan you've come up with?

Some more worthy reads:
Dave Ramsey on How To Cut The Food Budget
Dave Ramsey on Spring Gardening On A Budget

Photo:  FreeFoto.com

Uses For Stale Bread

Being a thrifty homemaker means making use of food items that many folks would stash in the trash.  Stale bread is often thrown out ... I know because I used to throw away my fair share or feed it to the birds ;(  There's the obvious thrift of making French toast or bread pudding.  How about bread stuffing?  Baking three loaves of bread a week can often leave leftovers ... at a minimum ... stale heels.

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 ... The Frugal Housewife, 1830

How about a recipe called Harvest Pear Bread Pudding ... or Tuscan Bread Soup.  Italians make a Bread Salad.  Birds Nest Toast ... we call at our home Egg In A Hole.  I leave you with a few websites to check out.

What To Do With Leftover Bread/Cooks.com  

Uses For Leftover Bread Never Go Stale/Anchorage Times

How do you use up your leftover bread? 

copyright free image found  here

Tunnel Vision At The Market

Today is budgeting and market day.  Alone!  I'm taking a gamble and withdrawing an entire month's worth of grocery money today.  Cash is harder to part with than swiping a debit card.  $350 is the budgeted amount ... a bit tight ... especially with Easter dinner.  Shopping at Sprawlmart was horrible.  A sea of people.  Stacks upon stacks ... row upon row of needless junk and packaged goods calling out from every isle and corner.  People milling around throwing junk in their carts without a second thought.  I took a peek down the candy isle and was shocked to see the crowds of people AND the nearly 1,000 items of Easter 'goodies' to choose from.  This place truly is one big fat FAKE food warehouse!  And people wonder why there is an obesity problem in the USA.  Today's purchase was small ... for the size of the store; all whole food items .. and a bottle of hot sauce.  A quick stop at Costco and a local specialty butcher shop ... then home.  If it wasn't for my tight budget ... I'd have skipped Sprawlmart altogether.  How do you maneuver the 'shark infested waters' of the market?

copyright free image from here

Grocery Challenge Update

This is more of a personal challenge (instead of a group effort) to cut down on our grocery bill.  But ... it is rather a good exercise of frugality using up our current food supply ... doing without everything we think is necessary ... and adapting recipes to fit what we have on hand.  Our loot this week includes:

• One gallon of whole un-homogenized milk
• Two pounds of butter*
• One rutabaga*
• A large onion*
• (1) avocado*
• A dozen eggs* (from my neighborhood egg man that lives down the street not in my HOA;)
• Wedge of smoked natural cheddar cheese (a splurge;)
• Colombian coffee*
• garlic*
• bananas
• apples*
• lettuce*
• cucumber*
• tangerines
• corned beef**
• brick of raw milk natural cheddar*
• package of sliced provolone cheese*
• one bottle Kombucha (fermented beverage)*
• ginger brew*  (alcohol free I think;)
• pumpkin seeds*
• wheat gluten*
• caraway seed*s (for my special recipe bread that I will share one of these days)
• two bags kettle chips**
• a gallon of Kirkland liquid dish soap
• two pounds of Yukon gold potatoes*

* = organic product
**= purchased  by darling daughter with my money at Sprawlmart

Shopping this way sure could start hurting Sprawlmart's business.  From what I've been seeing on a lot of blogs, people are eating more whole foods and cutting out processed junk.  Sorry big ag-business .. but your day to shine is OVER!  Families are taking back their health by cutting out the junk that has been peddled by the Pied Piper under the guise of subsidized corn and soy growers. OK, I'm off my soapbox.  [Total cost = $92, leaving $8 to last the remainder of the week]

To Market To Market To Buy A Fat Pig

....home again, home again ... jiggity jig!

Our recent family vacation is fading into the photo album and memory bank.  It was so nice to visit a warm weather destination, but the comfort of home was calling to me all the while.  Traveling with a special needs child is EXHAUSTING!  Today will bring the challenge of getting Nathan back into the school routine.  My day will begin in about ten minutes when I have to wake him up to catch the school bus. 

The morning will be spent unpacking, sorting laundry, putting away various travel items, and making out the grocery list .... then heading out to the market. 

A good basic turkey soup will be on the menu for dinner ... pulled from the freezer will be deliciously prepared turkey frozen in stock.  It will be a easy-frugal dinner.  Soup, green salad, home baked rolls. 

Afternoon chores should include inspecting the garden grounds, taking stock of the compost pile, turning over some bare soil that I hope is thawed. 

It's so good to be home.

The money's in the bag!  Our budgeted/micro managed grocery shopping trip took place this morning.  It was with great restrain that hubby and I walked the isles of sprawlmart, the health food store, and  Costco.  I think hubby is in this scheme just to save money .. not to necessarily eat more healthy.  He thought I was getting too anal when I told him the $1.50 hot dog & coke at Costco (his choice for lunch) would be deducted from the grocery $ .. so I let him buy with his $.  My purpose for eating healthy is different than his purpose of saving money.  This became evident as we shopped today.  He skipped entering the health food store as usual and listened to talk radio in the truck.  Here are some photos of our 'goods' ... my pile ... and his pile.  Can you guess which one is his?

The almighty dollar ruled the day when choosing which organic produce to buy.  There is a list of produce that is highly recommended to buy organic due to growing practices ... and a list of lesser offending non organic produce.  I tried to stick with organic on items I have read are more likely to be most offenders in the way they are grown.  Tomorrow I'll post a list for you to review.  But for today, my organic purchase was:  apples, lettuce, carrots, rutabaga, broccoli, butter, and corn tortilla chips.  Next in the food chain - milk. (Our choice was not labeled organic .. but local, not treated with RBsT (hormones) .. lowest temp 'vat pasteurized', not homogenized .. whole milk with the cream on top.  It travels less than 20 miles from farm to home.  You can read about the benefits here.  Why all the fuss ... it supports a local sustainably run .. green .. eco friendly farm.  Cost is more .. but the product is superior.  This type of milk .. even though being whole milk is easier to digest since it's not homogenized.  Visit Spokane's Family Farm to find out more.) Half and half (RBst free) for coffee ... if I was thinking straight, I'd use the richer milk from the top of the milk for coffee ... hum, that's a thought for next week .. as well as the benefits of organic butter (yum:)..  non organic produce today netted:  bananas, oranges and tangerines.  I know ... these are not local products!  But we've got to eat.  Maybe next year I'll have put away a TON of local fruit for winter consumption! 

Hubby's 'pile' included:  potato chips, non-cured all natural 'hot dogs' (my choice for him), yogurt (for Ann) .. my attempts at yogurt making have failed thrice! Granola bars ... I know these can be  made from my pantry goods. Fishy crackers (Ann), and the ridiculously priced individual cheese servings (Ann & hubby).

Not shown are the dozen of organic eggs hubby buys from a co-worker ($2.00/doz).

Today's big spend for the week cost $68.00, leaving us with $32.00.  This extra $ will be set aside each week for incidentals (if we run out of TP or toothpaste;) .. and any left over $ at the end of the month will be set aside for our yearly quarter beef purchase.