Showing posts with label Whole Foods Journey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Whole Foods Journey. Show all posts

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

This week

Looking back over the week, here's what I've done to keep up the frugal vibe - easy things, things YOU are probably doing, or have done in the past, or even could start doing.  Today, if you wanted to.  It would save you money.

- I've adjusted my fridge temperature to a slightly warmer setting.  We don't really open our fridge all that much, and so I'm not particularly concerned about food temperature safety, and my milk is still very cold when I go to use it, so the warmer temperature saves pennies and does the job at the same time.

- Washed my dishes IN the sink of dishwater rather than under running water.

-  Washed out my Ziploc bags and reused them.  I hang mine on the clothesline to dry, which one of my friends teases me about.  I may look a bit dorky, but I have clean bags!!

-  Made my own baby food.  This week it was applesauce, pumpkin and squash purees.  Next week I think I may start mixing more flavours.

-  Haven't turned on the heat yet!  Well, there were two nights I turned the heat on low in the bedrooms and shut the doors, but when the temperatures came up above zero again, the heat went off.  I'm sticking to my 'no heat until December 1st' goal.

-  Made whole wheat bread and slow cooker broth.

-  Used freezer food in several meals.  Zucchini, bread, pumpkin and cauliflower purees, bones for stock...

-  Ordered a freezer meat pack (saves us about $50) and a large vegetable pack (probably saves at least $30).

-  Tried new foods on sale, including organic couscous, organic brown rice and organic sour cream.  I always always always check the organic aisle for sales first; on sale it's often cheaper than the regular counterpart.

-  Used low cost make at home cleaner for deep-cleaning the upstairs bathroom today.  (1/2 cup white vinegar heated in the microwave.  Stir in 1/2 cup dish detergent.  Spray on surfaces, wait 15-30 minutes, wipe off)

-  Organized my fabric stash.  All of the 'odds and ends' that were too small for any practical purpose got put together in a bag.  As I have time, I've been sewing them together in a patchwork effect.  I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with the resulting crazy quilt style piece of fabric, but waste not, want not!

-  Saved the juice from the vegetables I've used this week to make alphabet soup in a few days.  I finally found alphabet pasta and I can't wait to make vegetable soup on a cold day.

-  Double checked my grocery bill and discovered a discrepancy of almost $3.

-  Vacuumed out the inside of my dryer, especially around the engine, to increase efficiency.

And things I haven't done very well at...

-  An unexpected vet visit that set us back quite a bit.

-  Several rainy and cold days that made hanging out laundry next to impossible.

-  A week that involved having to wash all the bedding in the house, including the pillows.

-  Several 'oops' purchases at the store, just unnecessary things I didn't remember we had at home, like jam.

-  Forgetting the green beans I bought on sale and having to toss them out.

Plans for the coming week, frugal wise...

I have a busy week coming and I'm determined to do well on the frugal front. 

-  I want to ask our landlady how to turn down the temperature on the water heater.  Our water is scalding hot out of the tap, and I'm sure the heater can be turned down.

-  I want to string a clothesline in the basement.  Combined with the drying rack this should be able to handle a load of laundry.

-  I want to steam and puree the final two pumpkins and get them in the freezer.

-  I have some homemade Advent exchange gifts to get done, and I'll need to borrow some tools and a glue gun from our neighbour.

-  Waiting for the flyers for this week and sincerely hoping someone has a good deal on eggs!


What about you?  Are you doing anything frugal right now?

Monday, November 12, 2012

Zucchini Stuffed Chicken

We're having one of those meals I just love - a practically 'found food' sort of feast.  Zucchini stuffed chicken with honey roasted squash.  The squash was a gift, the chicken was almost half price, the zucchini was some of the frozen grated bags I put up last month, and the breadcrumbs for the stuffing came from the ends of the loaves that I've been saving in the freezer for just such a day.

Do you do that, too?  Save bread, I mean.  I started doing this a while ago.  Every time I get to the bitter ends of loaves I toss whatever stale bits are left in a bag in the freezer.  Before I use it I just toast in the oven a bit and then pulse in my blender a few times.  Breadcrumbs!  The only downside, and really for us it isn't a downside, is that unless you eat only one kind of bread your crumbs will be slightly different every time.  I think they'll be some sunflower seeds this time around by the look of it.

And the recipe?  It's my mother's and I remember it fondly from childhood.  The stuffing is so good I could just eat it all on its own, frankly.  Here you go:

 Elegant Stuffed Chicken

4 chicken quarters
3Tbsp butter
2 medium zucchini (approx 1lb grated)
3 slices of bread
1 egg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste.

Melt butter and cook zucchini until tender.  Remove from heat and stir in torn bread (I use breadcrumbs here) and other ingredients.  Lift the skin on chicken quarters and stuff.  Place chicken on baking sheet and cook at 400F approx. 50 minutes.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

November 8th

Rich beef stew in the stoneware baker in the oven.  Oh I love my stoneware; seriously I think I use it more than anything else in my kitchen.  I'm even thinking of possibly hosting a Pampered Chef party just to get more stoneware.  It's an addiction.  I want this one, oh and this one, oh and THIS one, too.

You know what I'd really like?  If price wasn't at all an option?  This.  Of course I will never be able to afford it, but oh...

Anyway.

The beef stew recipe came from an old cookbook from 1982 called Kitchen Technique: A Complete Guide to Practical Cookery.  It's supposed to be the filling for a pie, but since we're eating as little refined white flour as possible these days, I skipped the pastry part and made it a stew.  It went over really well for lunch.

Feel terribly productive this morning because I finished the quilted placemat I'd promised to make for someone, sewed on the felt monogram this morning, and mailed it off without a problem.  I wish I had a camera right now so that I could have taken a picture.

I've also noticed how observant and prone to mimicking Samuel is becoming.  I want to take advantage of this stage before it passes, and so we're trying little 'dates' to teach social skills.  Today we went to a tea shop to practice how to behave in a restaurant.  Samuel had a hot chocolate and I had a cup of tea and we just had a nice time.  We talked about how once you're on your chair you don't keep hopping off, how if you spill something by accident it's ok, just use your napkin, don't fiddle with the sugar packets, etc.  He was so attentive and sweet and even held the door for me.  After our drink we went to look upstairs from the restaurant where they have a little art gallery, and when we came home that was the part that Samuel wanted to tell David about first; he'd seen pictures.

Our big vegetable pack that I ordered several weeks ago came in today.  It cost $25 but I've split the cost (and the produce) 50/50 with a friend.  The pack is 55lb of carrots, onions, cabbage, potatoes and squash, all locally grown.  Another way we're cutting food costs!  I also ordered us another freezer meat pack, which I'm very excited about.

Look at what I unpacked!

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

November 6th

The lot beside our house is vacant and grassy.  It's also covered in yellow leaves.  The lady who owns it, in the next house over, has hired/found someone to use a leaf blower on it and clear all the leaves away.  He did this for over an hour this afternoon.  The sound, never ceasing, of a leaf blower is driving me crazy.

******
Samuel skipped his nap.  I don't know why, but every few days he goes 'nap-less' and it worries me more with each passing time.  What if nap-less becomes the new normal?  I can't handle that yet.  I love my son, but I need that 1-2 hours of no Samuel time in the middle of the day.

******
-Pork roast is in the slow cooker, doing it's thang. 

-About half of the quilts got aired on the line today - it would have been a shame to waste a windy, sunny November day!

-The bedding from our guests is washed and put away.  I feel so productive getting this done as quickly as I did.

******
My mother thinks that the diaper rash that Samuel has is caused by uric acid.  She says it will burn the skin; I'm going to strip all of the cloth diapers and put him in disposables in the meantime.  A big of a drag, but if it clears up his bum I'll be happy.

I tried making a sauce for our pasta tonight that would only take the amount of time it takes to boil spaghettini.  I sauteed a mushroom, half a small onion, two cloves of garlic and a bit of oil together and then added about 1/2 cup of pureed veggies, diced tomatoes and some olives.  Then I stirred in a bit of sour cream.  Samuel had thirds, so he must have liked it.

******
Moving related tasks accomplished today: washing all of the cleaning cloths leant to us by our landlady so that I could return them.  Emptying another box of books onto our bookshelf in our bedroom.  Breaking down the boxes and bagging the garbage related to the move and bringing them to the curb for garbage day. (This really helped empty the basement - getting rid of empty boxes.)

Groceries and Stuff

Was woken up out of a dead sleep several times last night.  First by the cold, cold room I was in, that did not have enough blankets on the bed.  Then by Clara needing to nurse.  Then Samuel climbing into bed.  Then the cat throwing up, twice.  Then Clara needing to nurse again...

I really don't understand why the other life forms in this house don't need to sleep.

I foisted Samuel off onto David and took Clara to Bible study at the church, and then took the opportunity to go to the grocery store sort of by myself.  There were lots of good deals to be had, and I picked up green beans, limes, cauliflower, mushrooms, sour cream, butter, pasta, rice...lots of food, which makes me happy.  I like full cupboards, especially in cold weather like this.

Back home, and discovered that David had cooked lunch for us all.  Roasted potatoes, sausages, cheese, garlic buns.  How nice to come home and not cook.  And my inlaws had done the dishes.  And Samuel was wearing clothing and a clean diaper and was in a pleasant mood.  Minor miracles everywhere you look.

I refuse to turn on the heat.  Someone turned it on in the bathroom the other day and I snapped it right off again.  No heat till December 1st.  That's final.  Put on a sweater.

The children are upstairs pretending to sleep.  I think I'd better go check on that.  There's been some suspicious thumping noises.

Monday, November 5, 2012

November 5th

I often feel super guilty about not 'entertaining' Samuel.  I recognize that I'm his main playmate, but honestly I feel so climbed on and over extended some days I just want him to leave me alone.  And then I feel guilty.  Take today, for example.  Samuel has had two walks today.  A friend's older child came over for half an hour and played with him.  Grandma and Grandpa read to him.  I let him 'help' me make pancakes and David and Grandpa let him 'help' outside with the car.  He went out to a restaurant for lunch, had a two hour nap and played tag with me in the basement.  Despite all of this interaction (and that's just what I can remember) I just told him to go somewhere and DO SOMETHING that didn't involve me or the television being on.  And then I feel guilty because I think I should be magically producing an interesting activity for him at any time that he's bored.  Except even typing those words makes me sound like a real patsy.

******

I'm trying to cut myself a little slack in terms of how long it's taking to set up and fit into this house.  I want the cats to stop crying already.  I want Samuel to stop freaking out about sleeping in his own room.  I want the two bookcases lying on their sides in my livingroom to just get moved out.  I want my phone to work again and my curtains up and to figure out where the heck I packed every coathanger I own so I can stop getting dressed out of a giant pile of stuff on the floor.

But I can't do these things because these are things that require time.  And despite all evidence to the contrary, I have very little of the sort of time needed for this kind of activity.  I need Clara asleep, because if she's awake she's a ticking time bomb of neediness.  I need Samuel asleep, preferably, or quietly occupied which, haha, almost never happens.  And for many of these things I need David home, and not sleeping, and me not exhausted, and it to be daylight out, and no guests, and a concrete plan in place.

******

Clara tried a few new foods today.  So far she's had cauliflower - hated it.  Pumpkin - disliked it but dealt.  Applesauce with cinnamon and vanilla bean - adored it.  Banana - adored it.  Chicken and turkey - both of which she was ambivalent about.  Mashed potato - adored it.  Spinach - meh.  This is pretty much in keeping with Samuel's likes and dislikes.  Everyone is a fan of fruit.

She had a bath in the sink tonight as well, which was incredibly cute.  I don't know why I ever bothered with baby bathtubs for Samuel at the beginning.  All it gave me was a crick in the back.  The sink is the way to go.

******

After supper tonight I dragged Samuel out for a walk.  He was worried because it was dark out, and he said he was afraid of the dark.  I have never heard this before; I don't know where it came from.  But anyway, I told him he didn't have to be afraid because I was with him, and Jesus was with him.  He wanted to know where Jesus was.  "He's in your heart."  He thought about that for a moment and then said "Yeah.  He's in my heart.  He can't get out."  I think I may have messed him up theologically.

Last night I finally caved a bit to David's increasingly insistant demands that I *do something* with Samuel's hair.  I've been letting it grow, because I think that his hair is beautiful and soft and golden and charming, and also because that floppity-hair look on little boys is adorable.  And also because I'm a bit lazy.  But two days ago I took pity on Samuel and trimmed some especially long hair that has been hanging in his eyes, and last night after his bath I brushed his hair, realized it was now past his shoulders, and took a few inches off the back with my sewing scissors.  I think he may look even cuter, if that's possible.  And now David can stop going on about that.

******

My inlaws are leaving tomorrow.  Whenever they come over they take on the task of doing all the dishes, and can I just say that I love. that.  Because dishes are my least favourite job ever.  But it will be nice to try and get stuff organized in my bedroom again.

Friday, October 26, 2012

Seven Quick Takes: The Whole Foods Edition


Check out Jen for more 7 Quick Takes
1.  I'm finding that I have to 'forage' a lot more in finding the foods we can eat.  Who has the best deals?  Who stocks free-range eggs?  Who has local ground beef?  It's fun, actually, seeing how cheap I can get stuff and still have it be healthy.

2.  There's also a lot more homemade stuff happening around here.  I mean, we almost always ate homemade foods before, but they weren't entirely homemade; now if I want to make stuffing, for example, I have to think about every ingredient down to the bread cubes.

3.  However, I'm having some trouble figuring out what to do with old favourite recipes that aren't 'whole foods friendly'.  So far, I have no real solutions in hand.  I'm doing the best I can with what I've got, but we certainly have a long way to go.  For example, I've gone from buying bread, to making bread, to just today buying whole wheat flour in order to start making whole wheat bread.  It's not organic, sprouted-grain, gluten free...but it's the next step.

4.  You know what my biggest recipe hurdle is so far?  Besides bread?  Snacks.  David came home last night with peanuts (he often brings a bag of potato chips home with him) and plaintively asked "are peanuts okay?".  "Um, I think so."  I said.  But the truth is I don't really know what we can and can't eat here.  Plans for snacks this week include:

whole grain apple muffins
homemade fruit leather
pumpkin cookies

I'm also certain that decent desserts might win over the crowd, and so I'm going to try:

white bean cake
banana ice cream
pumpkin pie with a whole wheat crust

5.  I haven't even tackled organ meats, which are next on the list of things we need to somehow include in our diet.  I have a great sausage stuffing recipe that includes diced kidneys that I know everyone will eat, and tonight I'm going to try making a crustless steak and kidney pie.  I'm thinking liver pate might not be too hard.

6.  My sugarless tea still tastes like wet dirt.

7.  Has anyone had any experience making crackers/chips from vegetables?  Mine are not working out v. well.

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

The sugar is leaving my body

Well, if this first day of trying to eat a whole foods diet (or, as close as I can get at the moment) has taught me anything it's that I'm seriously addicted to sugar.  Seriously.  Addicted.  Seriously.

It was okay this morning; I had some hot cereal with milk and honey.  And can I just say a huge amen to bees.  Please?  Thank you.  So honey, milk, cereal...not 'regular' cereal though, because that isn't whole foods approved.  I had those big shredded wheat blocks that I honestly didn't even realize they still manufactured.  It was good, I was hungry, it was warm, I was full, all was right in the world.  I had some tea, with milk and poison (aka white sugar) and life was fine.

Then after a full morning of cold air outside and lots of exercise I came home to make lunch.  I was going to make creamed tuna, which we all like.  Tuna in bechamel sauce with peas over rice.  Brown rice, if you please.  And I even HAD brown rice, which I'm amazed by, but I was hungry and the baby was fussy and I thought:

What's the harm in using pasta?  I've got these pasta shells, and I'm not going to toss them...

So I made white pasta, with tuna and sauce.  I ate two bowls.  And then it hit me.  Serious Sugar Cravings.  I don't know why, maybe because of the pasta, maybe not.  Maybe because I've usually had three cups of tea with milk and sugar in each by noon every day, instead of just one.  Maybe because I had just nursed the baby; I don't know.  But I was desperate.

I wanted to, like, eat a spoon of sugar.

So I did the next best thing.  I ate all the leftover beets from supper yesterday.  That's desperate, people, eating beets for a sugar rush.  And I made a cup of tea in case my other little addiction, caffeine, was contributing to this problem.  I tried it without sugar, which as I expected tasted like drinking dirt with water in it.  Oh my gosh how do you healthy people DO THIS?  So I put a very small bit of honey in it and forced myself to say "Oh this is deLICIOUs!"  Blech.

I feel light-headed.  Which clearly isn't because I haven't eaten enough, or eaten unhealthily, it's just the sugar.  Leaving my body.

I might cry.