Stretching Ground Beef

We eat quite a bit of ground beef here. Spaghetti, lasagna, nachos, enchiladas, hamburgers, beef skillet (a homemade version of hamburger helper), meatloaf, meatballs, shepherds pie, pastits, etc. Anyway, I have been working on ways to increase the bulk of the ground beef while using less beef, decreasing fat and calories, not greatly changing flavor and not going the soy route. Here is what I have come up with and how it works for us:

carrots: My preference with these is ground (if you have a meat grinder handy), but shredded works fine too, works best with Mexican and Italian flavors, decrease the amount in things like meatloaf and burgers

onions: I use this in pretty much all of my beef mixes, grind or finely chop

brown rice or steel cut oats: these give the chew texture that is similar too beef, dont go overboard with it though or it will give a 'fake chewuy' texture that I just cannot describe

mushrooms: these have a naturally earthy full flavor of their own that works well with beef. I would not buy them primarily as a meat stretcher, but it is a great way to use up extra mushrooms before they spoil, these go over well in burgers and meatloaf

breadcrumbs: use any type of leftover bread heels or whatnot for this, a little goes a long way, hels uwith binding for burgers, meatloaves, meatballs, etc

Anyone have any other 'dirty little secrets' for stretching and (dare I say) fortifying their beef?

Cash for Groceries

Most people have heard of this 'cash only' system for buying groceries - I have wanted to do it, but keep getting back into the debit card rut.  We definitely do not use credit cards - for anything, but it is easy to lose track of extras when you're swiping the debit card.

Can I do it? Can I really go to a cash only?

My husband gets paid on Monday, and when I deposit his check on Tuesday morning I am going to keep out $75 for groceries, and try to do $75 weekly on the cash system and see if I make it - I'll let you know if I can pull it off or fall on my face!!

Breakfast Choices

Breakfast can get expensive quick - for instance, if your kids eat poptarts, they cost about $2.50 for a box of 8, and let's face it, since they come 2 in a package your serving size is 2 even tough the package says the serving size is 1 (at about 300 calories per 1) - so anyway you get 4 servings of poptarts for $2.50 which makes them cost about .63 per serving.  Now if poptarts were a nutrient dense, filling and lasting breakfast, it would be okay - just a little on the pricey side.  Now let's look at some other options:

• Eggs - currently $3 for 18 = .17 per egg, full of protein and other vitamins and only about 70 calories each, and oh, by the way, they are nature made not chemically concocted - although that can be debated a little depending on your egg supplier - I get mine from local farmers, but still a regular grocery store industrially laid egg is closer to as God intended than a poptart ;)
• Oatmeal - about $3 for the 42 oz round box (not the instant stuff) = .10 per serving (1/2 cup dry which equals almost a full cup cooked), and 30 servings per package.  A complex carbohydrate powerhouse, minimally processed, few if any chemicals added
• Pancakes - the homemade kind are cheap as dirt, they cost about .65 per recipe and one recipe feeds more than one person, and of course, the homemade kind are less polluted by stuff you can't pronounce
• Muffins - there again, the homemade kind are about .75 per recipe and one recipe makes 12 muffins, and you can feed several people on those also
• Cheese toast, waffles, biscuits - CHEAP> CHEAP> CHEAP!!!

The best options, I think is to mix and match.  Serve each child a scrambled egg with a side of pancake, muffin or oatmeal.  The next day, give them cheese toast or something simple like that on your leftover homemade bread (use real cheese of course).

My kids rarely eat boxed cereal or poptarts, or anything like that.  We eat homemade pancakes, biscuits, muffins, waffles, cheese toast, etc.  They enjoy the occasional cereal treat, but that's what it is, a treat, not a daily staple.  And while my kids are realtively picky eaters, they do well with breakfast, and that makes me happy since it's the meal that carries them through their busiest part of the day and the part of the day most of their intense learning takes place.

Beans

Dried beans are an excellent source of protein, and are way cheaper than meat.  Unfortunately, they are pretty boring by themselves.  So, you have to be creative about how you spruce them up.  Things that I have found to work the best are chicken/beef/ham stock for both the soaking and the cooking liquid, plus I add salt to the cooking water.  This improves their flavor significantly.  Then, I also add them to other dishes instead of just having them as their own dish (except baked beans at a barbecue - love those).  For cooking tips and recipes on beans, check out The Family Homestead and click on her kitchen link and she gives you several tutorials on bean cooking.  Then you can also visit sites like all recipes, cooks.com, simply recips, etc and check out their bean recipes too.

Chicken Breasts

I like to use chicken breasts in recipes, but I hate the 2.99/lb price tag for the boneless variety, so I don't buy them often.  Right now, Food Lion has split chicken breasts for .77/lb which is DIRT CHEAP!!!  And it is not that difficult to cut the hunk of breast meat out.  It may take you a couple of minutes of time, but when your done 'processing' your chicken, save the bone and skin portions (in the freezer) to make broth later.  Double whammy savings!

Homemade Pancake Syrup

A few months ago I posted "Homemade Pancakes", well, now I'm posting the syrup recipe to go along with it. I actually just finished making this for my family and they gobbled it up.

1 cup water
1/2 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla

optional:
1 tbsp butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp maple syrup or 1/8 tsp maple extract
other flavoring as desired

Put the water, sugar and vanilla (and any other additive you chose) in a pot and boil rapidly while you make your pancakes. When your pancakes are done, so is the syrup (about 5 minutes of rapid boiling). It will be a little thin while hot, but will thicken when cooled. We actually prefer it hot though since the butter on the pancakes tends to cool them down. If you want it cooled - do the syrup before you do the pancakes so it has a couple of minutes to cool down before using.

Makes about a 1 1/2 cups syrup

Enjoy!

Homemade Bagels

This is one of my very favorite recipes, and if you're really crafty, you can also make your own pizza bagel bites out of these (just make them much smaller). You could also wrap the dough around a hotdog prior to boiling for bagel dogs.


Bagels: Boil:
6 ½ cups bread flour 2 tablespoons baking soda
2 cups water 1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoons yeast Topping:
2 tablespoons oil (I use olive) 1 egg
2 tablespoons sugar (I use honey) Other: poppy seed, sesame seed, salt
1 tablespoon salt (I use kosher)

*Combine bagel ingredients but only 4 cups of the flour in a bowl and stir until well combined
*Add in another cup of flour and stir (this should get pretty difficult, that’s normal)
*Turn dough out onto kneading surface (table, cutting board, etc)
*Knead dough while adding the last flour about ¼ cup at the time until the dough feels “as soft as a baby’s bottom” and is not sticky at all (it may take a little more or a little less flour, that’s okay)
*Oil a large bowl and put dough ball into it and roll it around to coat it. Cover with a warm damp towel and put in a corner to rise until doubled (about an hour). Then punch down
*Knead dough ball for just a couple of minutes to get the air bubbles out
*Cut or pull apart into 4oz sections (about the size of a small yellow onion)
*Working quickly, and doing one section to completion at a time . . . . .
*Roll under your palm on a kneading surface until the ball is smooth, then Poke a hole in the middle with your thumb and work the dough from the hole until it is the size of a small bagel with a slightly large hole then immediately place on a cookie sheet
*Boil Water in a pot with 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon salt
*Boil each bagel for 30 seconds on each side then remove promptly
*When all bagels are done boiling, brush them lightly (starting with the coldest first) with a raw egg that has been beaten in a bowl. (This will help the bagel get a brown chewy crust)
*If you care to add toppings such as kosher salt, poppy seed or sesame seed, do it now
*Bake at 400F until done (about 15-20 minutes)
*Allow to cool before cutting into

coleslaw

This is actually pretty versatile. I make mine with shredded cabbage, shredded carrot, onion powder, salt, mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, salt and celery seed. Coleslaw is based on cabbage which is cheap, but also, since it is not a cooked food, you get the health benefit of both the green leafy cabbage and the orange carrot raw which keeps it's nutrients intact.

My basic recipe, and I do modify for fun pretty much every time

2 heads cabbage (any variety you like - or are given)
1-2 carrots (depending on how much you want in there)
2 cups may0
1/4 cup cider vinegar (you can try varieties here, could be fun)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp celery seed
1 tsp salt
1 tsp onion powder

Mix the mayo, vinegar, sugar, celery seed, salt and onion powder in a large bowl. taste it after you mix it to see if you need to make any changes because remember, this is the dressing and it's easire to modify before you put the slaw in it than after - trust me on this!!! After you get it right (and please writed down what you changed as you did it so you don't forget). Shred your cabbage and carrot and add it to the bowl and mix well. It's best if you refrigerate it for at least an hour so all the flavors can mix, but if you don't have the time, it will still be great.

Leftover Makeovers

There are several fast and yummy ways to get rid of your leftovers without them resembling the original meal AND only doing your major cooking chores about 3 times a week (for those of you not in love with cooking!), you just have to throw a little more (not alot) in your original pot. For instance,

• Sunday's roast chicken with rice and a salad,
• Monday's pot roast with mashed potatoes and veggie medley and
• Tuesday's Spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread

The rest of your week can be transformed like so:

• Wednesday chicken fajitas with spanish rice (Sunday's chicken cut up with peppers and onions and seasonings added - plus leftover Sunday rice with chopped onion, garlic and seasonings added, and a few tortillas),
• Thursday beef stroganoff from the leftover pot roast adding egg noodles, mushrooms, sour cream and seasoning, veggie medley on the side as is or you can add a little cheese sauce
• Friday's meatball sub - just add cheese and a bun(or use your garlic bread), with a salad on the side

Salad components are generally stored separated anyway and can show up again as a side dish for any meal and veggie medley can be added to a casserole or just show up as a side dish again. Re-used side dishes are better if served with a new main course than with the same main course again.Things to consider when re-using leftovers:fajitas, quesadillas, enchiladas, stir fry, casseroles, homemade pizza (any style), soups (add a few beans for protein and filler).

Get creative, and let me know some of the things you do to stretch your meals out - I need new ideas too!

Cheese Please!

I am one of those people who loves to make homemade - well, everything. When it comes to my mac & cheese, that is homemade too. I used to buy medium cheddar and use it in my bechamel to make a nice cheese sauce. The problem was that it took nearly half a bar (4oz) to get the cheese flavor where I want it. So I have been watching my food tv and tried something new. I purchased a block of extra sharp cheddar to use in my sauce instead of medium cheddar, and it took only about 2 1/2 ounces to get my cheese sauce flavorful and yellow - yum! Medium cheddar and extra sharp cheddar cost about the same, and I only needed about half as much!

Stretch your ground meat

Specifically, ground beef (ground chuck, sirloin, whatever you choose), but this idea might work well with other ground meats. I always add some "filler" when I make meatloaf, meatballs, or hamburgers. I throw in about a cup of oatmeal and half a cup of wheat germ with the spices (instead of bread crumbs). This helps make the meat stretch farther, and I like to think I'm tossing in a small health benefit as well. You can also use grated carrots or other "on-hand" veggies, like zucchini, onions, etc...too! (I, unfortunately, have a picky eater in my house that does not tolerate veggies, or I'd pull this trick more often!)

Bouillion and Bases

I love to use these in place of boxed chicken, beef or veggie broth. They cost a lot less per serving and they take up less space. I personally use the Better than Bouillion brand of all natural and organic bases. If you don't mind the MSG and other non-prounounceables, go for another brand and save yourself some cash.

Portion Control

Okay, this is crossing into territory that makes many people (Americans especially), uncomfortable. We eat too much. Overeating costs money at the grocery store, at the clothing store and at the doctor's office. Practicing reasonable portion control will still leave you satisfied, but decrease your bottom line in all three areas. Another aspect of portion control is what you leave on your plate. Most people scrape what's left on the family's plates into the trash - basically throwing money away. Try putting less in the plate - maybe half to 2/3 the amount to start and if someone needs more - okay, then get more, if they don't, that's 1/3 to half not wasted and the money not tossed away. You may end up with more leftovers, but that's okay, you either already have a head start on dinner another night, or you can plump up your freezer's meal reserves.

Cutting food waste cuts money waste.

Double Coupons

I just discovered last night that Harris Teeter offers double coupons every day (and occasionally triple) for a face value up to .99 (which is 1.98 when doubled). That can add up to some serious savings. If you live near one, take the time to either look at their flyers or their website http://www.harristeeter.com/ and look up coupons in the search bar and it will give you all of the coupon rules.

A Price Notebook (revised repost - sort of)

First of all, the original post:

If you have not done so already, you may want to keep a price notebook, or a price spreadsheet on your computer that you can print off before you go shopping. Here are the basics of this idea: keep a running record of an items price, size, store purchase and unit price so that when you are at another store, you can easily calculate whether or not it is a good deal. This is especially helpful at warehouse stores since buying in bulk is not always saving money.


Now the new part:
I was at Food Lion a couple of days ago and the quart size jar of Hellmann's was 4.79 - OMG - almost $5 for mayonnaise! MAYONNAISE! Flabbergasted doesn't even begin to describe it. Our local Wal-mart has the same jar for 3.59 - better, but still high. Yesterday I was at the Wal-Mart in E.C. with my mom (long story on how I got there), and the same jar of mayo was 2.98 and I had a .65 off coupon. Still more expensive than making it myself, but much better than buying it locally. So sad.

Locally, our Food Lion has 5oz cans of Food Lion brand tuna for .84. This is not only a price increase from .74, but they shrunk the can from 6oz to 5oz (as if no one would notice). I went to Harris Teeter a couple of weeks ago - HT brand tuna was .77for a 6oz can. I bought 10, and will probably buy 10 more each time I go. Canned tuna is a frugal family's safety net when the recipe goes bad or gets burned - hi ho it's tuna melt time! PS - the HT tuna is chunkier than the FL, which is good if like a larger flake tuna. FL tends to be mushy.


So, back to the price book. If you can, try to at least track 15 of your most commonly used items by writing down where you can buy them for the least amount of money, what that amount is, and how large the package is. I put my pricebook sheet from my excel in my coupon book so I have it when I need it. Also, if you really want to be a detective take a calculator too.

Breadcrumbs

Please don't ever pay money for these - just take leftover stale bread, bread heels or just over baked homemade bread and throw it in a food processor and toss them in a bag and in the freezer. Store bought ones are about 1.50 for a small canister, leftovers are free and if you don't use them, they just get wasted.

This Weeks Specials

Harris Teeter

• Asparagus 1.49/lb
• Land O Lakes Butter 2lb/$5
• Celery 1.49/bunch

Food Lion

• Spiral Sliced Ham 1.98/lb
• Turkeys .39/lb with $35 purchase
• Sweet Potatoes .29/lb
• Gwaltney Bacon 2lb/$4
• Ritz crackers BOGO Free
• Stove Top Stuffing BOGO Free
• 45oz Country Crock Spread 2/$5

Star Value

• Green Onions .79/bunch
• Celery 1.19/bunch
• Our Family Butter 1.99 with one filled card
• 4lb Value Choice Sugar 1.39 with one filled card
• Condensed Milk .99 with one filled card

Grocery Shopping for a Month

I am going to try this in December. I have read about it and thought about it and wanted to do it, but I've never gotten the nerve. Finally, after doing the math over what I could save if I could just get everything I need from Sam's (mostly) for one month. And that includes about $20 in gas for a round trip - $10 if I have a partner in crime for the trip.

Step 1 - know your prices: my mom wanted to go to Sam's one day last week when I spent the week with her, so I made notes of prices of things I buy so I could do the math

Step 2 - meal plan: in order for this to work, you have to have your meals planned in order to make sure you get enough in your trip that you not running out to the grocery store all the time during the month

Step 3 - write out your list: base this on your meal plan, AND add a few convenience items or extra lunch items just so you don't run out

Step 4 - set a date: pick a day and hopefully pick a 'date' and take someone along that's not a kid

Step 5 - leave your kids at home: little ones make you rush and make poor decisions, plus they don't want to be there anyway

Step 6 - cargo space: make sure the vehicle you take can fit plenty of stuff, and that it's free of clutter which can take up precious cargo space (especially if 2 or 3 of you are going)

Step 7 - cold storage: coolers and ice for refrigerated and frozen items

Step 8 - plan a snack or lunch: picnics are still fun unless it's cold, then you may want to take this opportunity to go out to lunch with your girlfriends

Step 9 - fill your tank: if you start out your voyage with a full tank, then upon return, you can refill it and you'll know exactly how much gas money to collect from everyone

Step 10 - have fun with it: saving money is serious business, but don't let it be a downer - take some friends, have some friendly conversation, and just enjoy each other's company while you ride. You may also learn some secrets to saving money here and there from your friends.

Convenience Foods

As an all-natural ingredient, from scratch as much as possible, chemical fearer type of person, I am naturally of the belief that homemade is better. And quite frankly, I can't think of one instance where that is not true. But I do have to remember that this is a money saver blog so I am going to delve into the issue of convenience foods from that perspective.

I do not believe that convenience foods are all bad, just those purchased through a drive through window at 6pm because you don't know what else to do. Total drive through cost for a family of 4: $15 if your 2 kids are 2 & 4, $25 if your kids are 12 & 14, and of course, much more if you have more kids or if your family tends to get all of the supersize, extra bacon tack on options. So what's a mom to do at 6pm when she has no clue what to do: Stouffer's frozen lasagna $8, Freschetta Frozen Pizza $6, Voila Frozen Meal Bags $4. Any one or even 2 of these is better for you than fast food fare, AND is better for the wallet.

If you can, cook and freeze your own convenience items like the lasagna homemade, but if that's not your style, then check out stouffer's. The goal here is the highest quality the fastest and for the lowest price. I'm not saying every meal should go down this way, but it does happen on occasion to all of us, even me.

Leftover Magic for $3.20

We had hamburgers a few days ago and there were several leftover. Well, we did not want to have reheated hamburgers (let's face it, they are just not as good the second time around), and I didn't have any hamburger buns anyway, so I had to think of something to do with them or throw them out. I hate to throw out food that still has potential. It just seems wasteful to me and I think it's not being a good steward of our family's money. Anyway, I had an idea - spaghetti. I had a couple of 8oz boxes of spaghetti that I had gotten for .29 each, plus a half of a jar of leftover sauce that I had gotten 3/$5, so I just chopped up 4 hamburger patties ($2.08/lb.) with my food chopper and added it to the sauce and let it heat thoroughly. My husband made a comment that the spaghetti was better than usual, and told him what I had done. We figured that the difference had to be the leftover hamburgers because we seasoned those with a little bit of steak seasoning prior to cooking so they had a slight steak-y flavor that complimented the spaghetti sauce.

Cost of the spaghetti meal for the entire family of 4 - $3.20 (plus we have leftovers for lunch today)


If you have good leftover stories or ideas, please, please, please post them!!!! I am always looking for more!