Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tutorial - How to Puree Winter Squash

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that I love to use pureed pumpkin or other winter squash in my cooking. Along with adding nutrition to the food I make, it gives it a wonderful warm, homey flavor that I've come to love. We love to grow winter squash in the garden. And one of the best things about it, is they keep for a long time in the basement and I can use them almost all year round.

Last year's squash harvest

I've already shared with you a tutorial on how to freeze winter squash in cubes. Today I'm going to share the instructions for making your own pureed pumpkin or other winter squash. Winter squash (just as a reminder) is any squash that has a really tough outer shell that will store for several months. Some examples would be butternut, pumpkin, Hubbard, sunshine, banana, etc.  You may want to stick with the creamier types of squash for pureeing. Stringy types like spaghetti and acorn squash probably won't give you the greatest results.

How to Puree Winter Squash

Printable Tutorial

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1: First wash the squash, cut the top off, and scoop out pulp and seeds (Don't throw the seeds away - they are healthy and delicious roasted!). 

STEP 2: Next cook the squash using one of the following methods.

• Microwave Method - Cut up the squash into pieces that will fit in your microwave (no peeling necessary). Cover “meat” side of the squash pieces with plastic wrap and microwave for 5-15 minutes or until "meat" is tender and you can scoop it out with a fork. 
• Oven Method - Cut up the squash and place, cut sides up, in ungreased rectangular baking dish (13x9x2") (no peeling necessary). Pour water into dish until 1/4" deep. Cover with tin foil and bake in 400 degree oven 30-40 min, in 350 degree oven about 40 min, in 325 degree oven about 45 min or until tender.
• Boil Method - Peel and cut the squash into slices or cubes (make sure you read my instructions on how to peel one first) - boil cubes in water 15 to 20 min. or until tender.
• Steam Method - Heat water in steamer pot. Peel and cut the squash into slices or cubes (make sure you read my instructions on how to peel one first). Steam squash slices for 12-15 min. Steam squash cubes for 7-10 min or until tender.
• Pressure Cooker Method - Cut up squash until it fits inside the pressure cooker (no peeling necessary). Add a cup of water. Cook on high pressure for 5-6 minutes or until tender.

STEP 3: Cool squash to touch. Then scrape out “meat” of squash with a fork. Place the "meat" in a blender or food strainer and puree (adding a little water if necessary). 

STEP 4: Use squash puree in a recipe immediately or divide in usable portions (1/2-Cup, 1-Cup, or 2-Cup increments depending on the recipes you use) and freeze squash in freezer bags.

Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Here are some of my favorite recipes that use pureed squash:

• Pumpkin or Squash Pie
• Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta
• Navy Bean Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup

What about you? What do you do with Winter Squash? I'd love to hear. Happy frugal Friday.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tutorial - How to Puree Winter Squash

Posted by admin

If you've been following this blog for a while you know that I love to use pureed pumpkin or other winter squash in my cooking. Along with adding nutrition to the food I make, it gives it a wonderful warm, homey flavor that I've come to love. We love to grow winter squash in the garden. And one of the best things about it, is they keep for a long time in the basement and I can use them almost all year round.

Last year's squash harvest

I've already shared with you a tutorial on how to freeze winter squash in cubes. Today I'm going to share the instructions for making your own pureed pumpkin or other winter squash. Winter squash (just as a reminder) is any squash that has a really tough outer shell that will store for several months. Some examples would be butternut, pumpkin, Hubbard, sunshine, banana, etc.  You may want to stick with the creamier types of squash for pureeing. Stringy types like spaghetti and acorn squash probably won't give you the greatest results.

How to Puree Winter Squash

Printable Tutorial

DIRECTIONS:

STEP 1: First wash the squash, cut the top off, and scoop out pulp and seeds (Don't throw the seeds away - they are healthy and delicious roasted!). 

STEP 2: Next cook the squash using one of the following methods.

• Microwave Method - Cut up the squash into pieces that will fit in your microwave (no peeling necessary). Cover “meat” side of the squash pieces with plastic wrap and microwave for 5-15 minutes or until "meat" is tender and you can scoop it out with a fork. 
• Oven Method - Cut up the squash and place, cut sides up, in ungreased rectangular baking dish (13x9x2") (no peeling necessary). Pour water into dish until 1/4" deep. Cover with tin foil and bake in 400 degree oven 30-40 min, in 350 degree oven about 40 min, in 325 degree oven about 45 min or until tender.
• Boil Method - Peel and cut the squash into slices or cubes (make sure you read my instructions on how to peel one first) - boil cubes in water 15 to 20 min. or until tender.
• Steam Method - Heat water in steamer pot. Peel and cut the squash into slices or cubes (make sure you read my instructions on how to peel one first). Steam squash slices for 12-15 min. Steam squash cubes for 7-10 min or until tender.
• Pressure Cooker Method - Cut up squash until it fits inside the pressure cooker (no peeling necessary). Add a cup of water. Cook on high pressure for 5-6 minutes or until tender.

STEP 3: Cool squash to touch. Then scrape out “meat” of squash with a fork. Place the "meat" in a blender or food strainer and puree (adding a little water if necessary). 

STEP 4: Use squash puree in a recipe immediately or divide in usable portions (1/2-Cup, 1-Cup, or 2-Cup increments depending on the recipes you use) and freeze squash in freezer bags.

Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

Here are some of my favorite recipes that use pureed squash:

• Pumpkin or Squash Pie
• Pumpkin Sausage Penne Pasta
• Navy Bean Soup
• Chicken Noodle Soup

What about you? What do you do with Winter Squash? I'd love to hear. Happy frugal Friday.

Frugal Friday: Good food, Good life & NEW Fall Menu Plan

During one of my yes-I-sometimes-eat-sugar days recently I read these words on the back of a nestle candy bar:

Good Food, Good Life. 

What do you think? Does Nestle candy bars hold access to a good life within their packaging?

Here's my thoughts:
In one sense, they've got the statement right. Good food is part of a good life. True. Fact. Yes. But what they are implying is all wrong. While Nestle candy bars are good, they are not the kind of good food that brings good life.

Here's a few things that I've discovered what truly good food is and what it is not:

1. Good food does not come in a package or sit on a shelf.
2. Good food is purposefully prepared. 
3. Good food is best when shared with people you love.
4. And...here's my favorite of all: Good food nourishes the body and delights the soul.

Think back to the last time you've experienced truly good food. Can you remember how it was served, the people that prepared it, or who you shared it with? Did it nourish you, rather than leaving you with that empty feeling or a craving for more? Did eating it put a smile on your heart?

I do believe that good food is connected with a good life. 

I love good food. And I love to make it for my family to enjoy. One of my goals for this blog is to include recipes that will help your family experience truly good food. I believe that one of the most important things for a healthy family is to have a consistent family dinner time every night, if possible (with good food). To help you with this, I'm in the process of creating several 2-week menu plans that can help make the planning part of making dinner easier for your family. Today I'd like to share the first one with you. It's specifically geared toward meals that are delicious in the fall, but many of the meals would work for any time of the year.

I like 2-week menu plans. One reason is because it saves me money. Using a 2-week menu plan allows for me to shop less often. The less often I go to the store, the less I see things I "need" and the less I spend. The other reason is because it saves me time. With a 2-week menu plan I only have to plan and shop once every two weeks. I still sometimes go to the store another time to pick up perishables, but those are quick "in-and-out" type trips that don't take a lot of time.

And speaking of saving time, today I've made the planning part easier for you by sharing a two-week fall menu plan that I hope you will love!

You can download and print the fall menu plan at this link. 

And to help you with even more menu planning ideas, here's a post where I share lots of great tips for menu planning that also includes a downloadable blank printable menu plan. Also at that link you will find meal ideas for breakfast and lunch.

Now it's your turn. Please remember that I love to read your supportive and thoughtful comments. They brighten my day and make blogging fun and rewarding. If you need a some ideas, here are some question prompts just for fun.

What do you think of the phrase "Good Food, Good Life"?
Or...
How has menu planning changed your life?
Or...hey...
What do you think of my awesome new 2-week meal plan?!?!? *Sheepish grin*

Please share. Happy Frugal Friday! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Good food, Good life & NEW Fall Menu Plan

Posted by admin

During one of my yes-I-sometimes-eat-sugar days recently I read these words on the back of a nestle candy bar:

Good Food, Good Life. 

What do you think? Does Nestle candy bars hold access to a good life within their packaging?

Here's my thoughts:
In one sense, they've got the statement right. Good food is part of a good life. True. Fact. Yes. But what they are implying is all wrong. While Nestle candy bars are good, they are not the kind of good food that brings good life.

Here's a few things that I've discovered what truly good food is and what it is not:

1. Good food does not come in a package or sit on a shelf.
2. Good food is purposefully prepared. 
3. Good food is best when shared with people you love.
4. And...here's my favorite of all: Good food nourishes the body and delights the soul.

Think back to the last time you've experienced truly good food. Can you remember how it was served, the people that prepared it, or who you shared it with? Did it nourish you, rather than leaving you with that empty feeling or a craving for more? Did eating it put a smile on your heart?

I do believe that good food is connected with a good life. 

I love good food. And I love to make it for my family to enjoy. One of my goals for this blog is to include recipes that will help your family experience truly good food. I believe that one of the most important things for a healthy family is to have a consistent family dinner time every night, if possible (with good food). To help you with this, I'm in the process of creating several 2-week menu plans that can help make the planning part of making dinner easier for your family. Today I'd like to share the first one with you. It's specifically geared toward meals that are delicious in the fall, but many of the meals would work for any time of the year.

I like 2-week menu plans. One reason is because it saves me money. Using a 2-week menu plan allows for me to shop less often. The less often I go to the store, the less I see things I "need" and the less I spend. The other reason is because it saves me time. With a 2-week menu plan I only have to plan and shop once every two weeks. I still sometimes go to the store another time to pick up perishables, but those are quick "in-and-out" type trips that don't take a lot of time.

And speaking of saving time, today I've made the planning part easier for you by sharing a two-week fall menu plan that I hope you will love!

You can download and print the fall menu plan at this link. 

And to help you with even more menu planning ideas, here's a post where I share lots of great tips for menu planning that also includes a downloadable blank printable menu plan. Also at that link you will find meal ideas for breakfast and lunch.

Now it's your turn. Please remember that I love to read your supportive and thoughtful comments. They brighten my day and make blogging fun and rewarding. If you need a some ideas, here are some question prompts just for fun.

What do you think of the phrase "Good Food, Good Life"?
Or...
How has menu planning changed your life?
Or...hey...
What do you think of my awesome new 2-week meal plan?!?!? *Sheepish grin*

Please share. Happy Frugal Friday! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Ways to save money on cooling your home

How are you doing with this summer heat? Do you like it or does it make you a grouch? I know for myself I'm a big old grouch if I get too hot. Either that or I shut down and don't feel like doing anything. When my husband and I were first married we lived in a brick, top-floor apartment. And the summertime was HOT! During the same time the a/c in our car stopped working (and we didn't have the money to recharge it) and get this...our car windows stopped rolling down. Yeah in the middle of the summer. It was pretty miserable til we got them fixed. We had central air in our apartment but it was old and seemed like it cost a million bucks each time you even looked at it. So we hardly ever turned it on. We actually did just fine most of the time because we were students and were gone a good part of the day (in nice air conditioned buildings). But I remember a few horrifically hot and grouchy weekends. We finally agreed that we would use the central air on Sundays. We were both home most of the day and it really was the only way we could have peace from the grouchy witch (*cackle cackle*).

Well to make a long story short, we survived those days. Phew. Not that we're never hot and grouchy now, but we've learned some stuff since then. And our house stays cool most of the time without costing us a million bucks. Today I'm going to share some things we've learned about how to save money and stay cool.

5 Ways to Save Money on Cooling Your Home

1. Use Windows to Your Advantage - This trick will only work as long as the temperature outside drops to below about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature starts to drop, open the windows. Usually this is in the later evening and early morning. Then make sure to close them before the temperature outside starts warming up. We like to stick a inexpensive fan in the windows and blow the cool air in. That always helps to cool off the house even better.
2. Plant trees around your house to shade - Obviously this isn't a short-term solution or a solution if you're renting like we were back in the day. But if you're a home owner or planning to buy in the future, it's something to consider. Shade trees planted around your home, will significantly reduce your cooling costs. Here's some information that I found helpful if you're wondering specifically the best places to plant the trees. Our current home has mature shade trees and we've noticed a huge difference between how cool our home stays and others in the area that don't have the shade trees. 
3. Control the A/C or Central Air - Whenever possible, use ceiling fans and other inexpensive fans instead of a/c or central air. They are a lot cheaper to run and will help you keep your cooling costs down significantly.
4. Avoid Generating Internal Heat as Much as Possible - Most people probably already realize that using the oven during the heat of the day makes for a pretty miserable kitchen. But did you know that your dishwasher, washer and dryer, along with other large appliances also give off a significant amount of heat when they're in use? Avoiding those as much as possible or only using them during the cooler parts of the day can help you save money on cooling your home.
5. Batch Cooking - If you're heating up the house anyway by turning on the oven, make use of that energy by cooking several different things at the same time or make extra and freeze it for later. This will save you from having to turn on your oven as much in the summer and keep your home cooler.

Now it's your turn. Do you have any ideas for how to save money on cooling your home? Please share. Happy Frugal Friday. Stay cool! 

Frugal Friday: Ways to save money on cooling your home

Posted by admin

How are you doing with this summer heat? Do you like it or does it make you a grouch? I know for myself I'm a big old grouch if I get too hot. Either that or I shut down and don't feel like doing anything. When my husband and I were first married we lived in a brick, top-floor apartment. And the summertime was HOT! During the same time the a/c in our car stopped working (and we didn't have the money to recharge it) and get this...our car windows stopped rolling down. Yeah in the middle of the summer. It was pretty miserable til we got them fixed. We had central air in our apartment but it was old and seemed like it cost a million bucks each time you even looked at it. So we hardly ever turned it on. We actually did just fine most of the time because we were students and were gone a good part of the day (in nice air conditioned buildings). But I remember a few horrifically hot and grouchy weekends. We finally agreed that we would use the central air on Sundays. We were both home most of the day and it really was the only way we could have peace from the grouchy witch (*cackle cackle*).

Well to make a long story short, we survived those days. Phew. Not that we're never hot and grouchy now, but we've learned some stuff since then. And our house stays cool most of the time without costing us a million bucks. Today I'm going to share some things we've learned about how to save money and stay cool.

5 Ways to Save Money on Cooling Your Home

1. Use Windows to Your Advantage - This trick will only work as long as the temperature outside drops to below about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature starts to drop, open the windows. Usually this is in the later evening and early morning. Then make sure to close them before the temperature outside starts warming up. We like to stick a inexpensive fan in the windows and blow the cool air in. That always helps to cool off the house even better.
2. Plant trees around your house to shade - Obviously this isn't a short-term solution or a solution if you're renting like we were back in the day. But if you're a home owner or planning to buy in the future, it's something to consider. Shade trees planted around your home, will significantly reduce your cooling costs. Here's some information that I found helpful if you're wondering specifically the best places to plant the trees. Our current home has mature shade trees and we've noticed a huge difference between how cool our home stays and others in the area that don't have the shade trees. 
3. Control the A/C or Central Air - Whenever possible, use ceiling fans and other inexpensive fans instead of a/c or central air. They are a lot cheaper to run and will help you keep your cooling costs down significantly.
4. Avoid Generating Internal Heat as Much as Possible - Most people probably already realize that using the oven during the heat of the day makes for a pretty miserable kitchen. But did you know that your dishwasher, washer and dryer, along with other large appliances also give off a significant amount of heat when they're in use? Avoiding those as much as possible or only using them during the cooler parts of the day can help you save money on cooling your home.
5. Batch Cooking - If you're heating up the house anyway by turning on the oven, make use of that energy by cooking several different things at the same time or make extra and freeze it for later. This will save you from having to turn on your oven as much in the summer and keep your home cooler.

Now it's your turn. Do you have any ideas for how to save money on cooling your home? Please share. Happy Frugal Friday. Stay cool! 

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip for Measuring Honey

As you know I've been avoiding sugar 6 days a week for almost 6 months now. I've been using local raw honey or Xagave as sweeteners. Before I discovered this trick, sticky sweeteners were a pain to measure. They stuck to the measuring cup and there was a lot of waste. As you know, Frugal Friday is all about saving money. And wasted honey is wasted money (do ya like my rhyme?). Well today I'm going to show you a really simple little trick that I've discovered to measure honey. This also will work for other sticky substances like molasses, Xagave, and even peanut butter.

Kitchen Tip: Measuring Honey

Step 1: Take your measuring cup and spray or brush sides and bottom with a light coat with oil. It doesn't matter what kind of oil (just make sure it's edible...haha). If you are already using oil in a recipe, just use the same measuring cup that you measured the oil in. Then this step is already done for you.

Step 2: Pour honey or other sticky substance into the measuring cup.

Step 3: Then pour the honey into the container you are measuring it into.

Honey should slip right out of the measuring cup, leaving no leftover sticky mess to try to get out.

My husband calls this stuff liquid gold. You don't want to waste even a drop!

Works like a charm! Happy Frugal Friday everyone! Enjoy saving money by not wasting honey. Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip for Measuring Honey

Posted by admin

As you know I've been avoiding sugar 6 days a week for almost 6 months now. I've been using local raw honey or Xagave as sweeteners. Before I discovered this trick, sticky sweeteners were a pain to measure. They stuck to the measuring cup and there was a lot of waste. As you know, Frugal Friday is all about saving money. And wasted honey is wasted money (do ya like my rhyme?). Well today I'm going to show you a really simple little trick that I've discovered to measure honey. This also will work for other sticky substances like molasses, Xagave, and even peanut butter.

Kitchen Tip: Measuring Honey

Step 1: Take your measuring cup and spray or brush sides and bottom with a light coat with oil. It doesn't matter what kind of oil (just make sure it's edible...haha). If you are already using oil in a recipe, just use the same measuring cup that you measured the oil in. Then this step is already done for you.

Step 2: Pour honey or other sticky substance into the measuring cup.

Step 3: Then pour the honey into the container you are measuring it into.

Honey should slip right out of the measuring cup, leaving no leftover sticky mess to try to get out.

My husband calls this stuff liquid gold. You don't want to waste even a drop!

Works like a charm! Happy Frugal Friday everyone! Enjoy saving money by not wasting honey. Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Saving Money at the Library

I recently read a quote that goes like this:

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries"

I love that. The library is one of my favorite places to go and my kid's too. It's an adventure every time we go there. If we had bought every book that we've ever read instead of checking it out the the library, we would have spent thousands of dollars. So I consider that money that I've saved.

I remember growing up that trips to the library were the best. My Mom would take us often to the library and those were always our favorite days. Those are still some of my most vivid memories - going to the library and checking out big stacks of books. I even have a memory of my youngest sister learning to walk associated with a library book that I was reading at the time. My parents did a great job of instilling in us a love of reading that I want to pass on to my kids.

My Dad recently told my kids that he's come to realize that the most important skill that he's ever learned is the ability to read. Of all the skills he has (and he has a pretty impressive list of them), reading has been the most important and the thing that has affected the rest of his life the most.

I think of the library as one of the most important tools that we have for cultivating a love of reading in our kids. I have one child who loves reading. Spends every spare minute of every day with a book in hand. He's a little extreme. But I account part of that love of books to the library. The library feeds this boy. Feeds his mind. I wonder some days what I would do without it. My other son also loves books. He's just starting to read and discover the amazing power of learning through reading.

We have a library book basket in our home where we store all the library books so they don't get lost. This has helped us save money on library fines, which can add up if you don't keep track of the books. Our library also has an e-mail service where they will send me reminders when our books are due. If you're worried about library fines, make sure to ask if your library provides that service, it really helps to get a reminder.

The library is more than just a place where you can check out books. The library has so many other wonderful resources as well. Movies, books on tape, music, software, internet access, summer reading programs, educational programs, and more. All of which are free or low cost. It's such a great resource for frugal family friendly activities and experiences.

Need some ideas for books to check out? Here's a few of our favorite's that I've done reviews on on this blog:

The Missing Tarts by B. G. Hennessy

F is for Freedom by Roni Schotter

I Wonder Why the Wind Blows by Anita Goneri

Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

Mr. McGee and His Little Dog Dee Books by Chris Van Dusen

The Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban

The Cat who Wore a Pot on Her Head by Jan SlepianI 

Tilly Lays an Egg by Terry Golson

The Fourteen Bears by Evelyn Scott

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

Mother Goose by Mary Engelbreit

As I mentioned in our plan for the summer, Tuesday is trip to the library day at our house. Sometimes we stay for story time, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we go a second time during the week because once a week just isn't always often enough for my oldest. We love the library and use it often. It's one of my best and most used frugal resources.

Now it's your turn? How does your family love and use the library? Got a favorite children's book to share? I'd love to hear about. Happy Reading! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Saving Money at the Library

Posted by admin

I recently read a quote that goes like this:

"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries"

I love that. The library is one of my favorite places to go and my kid's too. It's an adventure every time we go there. If we had bought every book that we've ever read instead of checking it out the the library, we would have spent thousands of dollars. So I consider that money that I've saved.

I remember growing up that trips to the library were the best. My Mom would take us often to the library and those were always our favorite days. Those are still some of my most vivid memories - going to the library and checking out big stacks of books. I even have a memory of my youngest sister learning to walk associated with a library book that I was reading at the time. My parents did a great job of instilling in us a love of reading that I want to pass on to my kids.

My Dad recently told my kids that he's come to realize that the most important skill that he's ever learned is the ability to read. Of all the skills he has (and he has a pretty impressive list of them), reading has been the most important and the thing that has affected the rest of his life the most.

I think of the library as one of the most important tools that we have for cultivating a love of reading in our kids. I have one child who loves reading. Spends every spare minute of every day with a book in hand. He's a little extreme. But I account part of that love of books to the library. The library feeds this boy. Feeds his mind. I wonder some days what I would do without it. My other son also loves books. He's just starting to read and discover the amazing power of learning through reading.

We have a library book basket in our home where we store all the library books so they don't get lost. This has helped us save money on library fines, which can add up if you don't keep track of the books. Our library also has an e-mail service where they will send me reminders when our books are due. If you're worried about library fines, make sure to ask if your library provides that service, it really helps to get a reminder.

The library is more than just a place where you can check out books. The library has so many other wonderful resources as well. Movies, books on tape, music, software, internet access, summer reading programs, educational programs, and more. All of which are free or low cost. It's such a great resource for frugal family friendly activities and experiences.

Need some ideas for books to check out? Here's a few of our favorite's that I've done reviews on on this blog:

The Missing Tarts by B. G. Hennessy

F is for Freedom by Roni Schotter

I Wonder Why the Wind Blows by Anita Goneri

Elephant and Piggie Books by Mo Willems

Mr. McGee and His Little Dog Dee Books by Chris Van Dusen

The Little Brute Family by Russell Hoban

The Cat who Wore a Pot on Her Head by Jan SlepianI 

Tilly Lays an Egg by Terry Golson

The Fourteen Bears by Evelyn Scott

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes

Mother Goose by Mary Engelbreit

As I mentioned in our plan for the summer, Tuesday is trip to the library day at our house. Sometimes we stay for story time, sometimes we don't. Sometimes we go a second time during the week because once a week just isn't always often enough for my oldest. We love the library and use it often. It's one of my best and most used frugal resources.

Now it's your turn? How does your family love and use the library? Got a favorite children's book to share? I'd love to hear about. Happy Reading! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: The Principle of Work

As I was thinking about what to write about for Frugal Friday this week I thought about how so many of the principles of being frugal involve hard work. Really, so many true principles of life itself involve hard work. With all of the ease of modern life, it's tempting to slip into the pattern of not wanting to get your hands dirty or to put forth enough effort to break a sweat. Why is that? Just a few generations ago, hard work was a part of every single day. Day in and day out. And the consequences were threatening. If you don't work, you don't eat and your family goes hungry too. Farm children grew up learning how to help out on the farm. There was no need to consciously decide how to teach children how to work. They learned. It was a part of life. Nowadays, with all of the convenience around us, it's easy to feel entitled to not work and to slip into habits of ease and laziness. And our children exceed our examples in this.

So how do we reinstate the virtue of hard work in our homes? How do we get back to that? I'm going to share a few ideas with you, but really I think I'm mostly looking for answers here and would love to have a discussion if you're willing.

My youngest son learning how to mop the floor this week

I think the first thing we can do is to set an example of hard work for our children. Daddy (and in some homes Mommy) goes to "work" every day. But our children aren't a part of that and they don't see it or understand what "work" means. That's why I believe things like growing a garden, DIY projects, cooking at home, etc. is so important. All of those things not only save money, but also help our children see us working at home.

The second thing I thought of is to teach our children to work alongside us. I know a lot of families do chore charts and we do too. I think it's important to set expectations for children to do chores and give rewards when those chores are completed. But what has always worked the best for us is when we take the time to work alongside our children on their chores. Not only does it help them learn how to do the job right, but it also helps them to learn to enjoy working.

Now it's your turn. I would love to hear your ideas on this topic. How does a good work ethic help you be more frugal? How do you teach (or how have you taught) your children the value and rewards of hard work? Do you have a great chore system for kids that works for your family? I'd love to hear about it. Anything else you'd like to share on this topic would be great. I'm looking for ideas! Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: The Principle of Work

Posted by admin

As I was thinking about what to write about for Frugal Friday this week I thought about how so many of the principles of being frugal involve hard work. Really, so many true principles of life itself involve hard work. With all of the ease of modern life, it's tempting to slip into the pattern of not wanting to get your hands dirty or to put forth enough effort to break a sweat. Why is that? Just a few generations ago, hard work was a part of every single day. Day in and day out. And the consequences were threatening. If you don't work, you don't eat and your family goes hungry too. Farm children grew up learning how to help out on the farm. There was no need to consciously decide how to teach children how to work. They learned. It was a part of life. Nowadays, with all of the convenience around us, it's easy to feel entitled to not work and to slip into habits of ease and laziness. And our children exceed our examples in this.

So how do we reinstate the virtue of hard work in our homes? How do we get back to that? I'm going to share a few ideas with you, but really I think I'm mostly looking for answers here and would love to have a discussion if you're willing.

My youngest son learning how to mop the floor this week

I think the first thing we can do is to set an example of hard work for our children. Daddy (and in some homes Mommy) goes to "work" every day. But our children aren't a part of that and they don't see it or understand what "work" means. That's why I believe things like growing a garden, DIY projects, cooking at home, etc. is so important. All of those things not only save money, but also help our children see us working at home.

The second thing I thought of is to teach our children to work alongside us. I know a lot of families do chore charts and we do too. I think it's important to set expectations for children to do chores and give rewards when those chores are completed. But what has always worked the best for us is when we take the time to work alongside our children on their chores. Not only does it help them learn how to do the job right, but it also helps them to learn to enjoy working.

Now it's your turn. I would love to hear your ideas on this topic. How does a good work ethic help you be more frugal? How do you teach (or how have you taught) your children the value and rewards of hard work? Do you have a great chore system for kids that works for your family? I'd love to hear about it. Anything else you'd like to share on this topic would be great. I'm looking for ideas! Thanks for sharing and have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial - Freezing Turnips

We harvested the turnips yesterday. The greens were huge! Here's a picture of my husband bringing them in after picking them. Looks like a beautiful leafy bouquet.

Turnips are one of my favorite things to grow in the garden. They grow so quickly, look beautiful, and taste delicious. For the best flavor, you have to pick them when they are young and tender. Since we can't eat them all ourselves when it's time to harvest them, we freeze them for later. They still taste delicious. I like to put them in pasties, stews, roasted vegetable dishes or soups. They are wonderful.

The turnip greens are delicious too. I don't personally like them plain, but I love to blend them up into green smoothies. So healthy and yummy.

Today for frugal Friday, I'll show you how to freeze turnips. It's easy and frugal. These turnips grew almost for free. Where we live we can plant them in early March and they get plenty of water just through the rainfall. I water them a little when it starts getting hot, but most of the growing was done without me having to worry about watering at all. A spring garden is a wonderful frugal thing. I will plant another crop for the late fall because turnips prefer the cooler weather. Where we live the hot summers are too much for them. That being said, I have to tell you that yesterday I planted an experimental plot of turnips, lettuce and a few other of the cooler loving crops in the shade. We'll see how they do...

And now back to the tutorial...

How to Freeze Turnips
Printable Tutorial

Step 1: Select young and tender turnips and wash with water. If they are too tough now, freezing them will only worsen their flavor.

Step 2: Cut off greens (and wrap in plastic and save in the refrigerator for smoothies later). Then peel off the skins. Chop peeled turnips into 1/2" thick pieces.

I cheated and used this Vidalia Chop Wizard. It's one of my favorite kitchen gadgets...saves me so much time chopping.

Step 3: Fill a steamer with water and heat to boiling. When water is boiling, place chopped turnips in the water for 2 minutes. Turnips should be submerged under water. Start the timer immediately after placing the turnips in the boiling water. This is called blanching. Blanching is important in freezing most vegetables because it's stops the enzyme action, which can cause a loss of flavor, color, and texture. 

Step 4: When 2 minutes is up, immediate remove the steamer basket from the heat and cool turnips with water to stop them from cooking any more. You can also pour them into a sink or bowl full of cold water to stop the cooking even faster.

Step 5: When turnips are cooled completely, drain and pack them in freezer bags, label and immediately freeze. Frozen turnips should last at least a year in the freezer.

One of my favorite recipes to use turnips in is this roasted veggies dish...yum!

Growing your own food and then preserving it such a satisfying and frugal thing to do. It also helps you eat healthier because healthy food is available and convenient. Happy Frugal Friday! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial - Freezing Turnips

Posted by admin

We harvested the turnips yesterday. The greens were huge! Here's a picture of my husband bringing them in after picking them. Looks like a beautiful leafy bouquet.

Turnips are one of my favorite things to grow in the garden. They grow so quickly, look beautiful, and taste delicious. For the best flavor, you have to pick them when they are young and tender. Since we can't eat them all ourselves when it's time to harvest them, we freeze them for later. They still taste delicious. I like to put them in pasties, stews, roasted vegetable dishes or soups. They are wonderful.

The turnip greens are delicious too. I don't personally like them plain, but I love to blend them up into green smoothies. So healthy and yummy.

Today for frugal Friday, I'll show you how to freeze turnips. It's easy and frugal. These turnips grew almost for free. Where we live we can plant them in early March and they get plenty of water just through the rainfall. I water them a little when it starts getting hot, but most of the growing was done without me having to worry about watering at all. A spring garden is a wonderful frugal thing. I will plant another crop for the late fall because turnips prefer the cooler weather. Where we live the hot summers are too much for them. That being said, I have to tell you that yesterday I planted an experimental plot of turnips, lettuce and a few other of the cooler loving crops in the shade. We'll see how they do...

And now back to the tutorial...

How to Freeze Turnips
Printable Tutorial

Step 1: Select young and tender turnips and wash with water. If they are too tough now, freezing them will only worsen their flavor.

Step 2: Cut off greens (and wrap in plastic and save in the refrigerator for smoothies later). Then peel off the skins. Chop peeled turnips into 1/2" thick pieces.

I cheated and used this Vidalia Chop Wizard. It's one of my favorite kitchen gadgets...saves me so much time chopping.

Step 3: Fill a steamer with water and heat to boiling. When water is boiling, place chopped turnips in the water for 2 minutes. Turnips should be submerged under water. Start the timer immediately after placing the turnips in the boiling water. This is called blanching. Blanching is important in freezing most vegetables because it's stops the enzyme action, which can cause a loss of flavor, color, and texture. 

Step 4: When 2 minutes is up, immediate remove the steamer basket from the heat and cool turnips with water to stop them from cooking any more. You can also pour them into a sink or bowl full of cold water to stop the cooking even faster.

Step 5: When turnips are cooled completely, drain and pack them in freezer bags, label and immediately freeze. Frozen turnips should last at least a year in the freezer.

One of my favorite recipes to use turnips in is this roasted veggies dish...yum!

Growing your own food and then preserving it such a satisfying and frugal thing to do. It also helps you eat healthier because healthy food is available and convenient. Happy Frugal Friday! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial: How to Culture Buttermilk

I have another kitchen tip/tutorial to share with you today for Frugal Friday that can save you money. I'm going to show you how you can culture your own buttermilk. It is so easy to do and literally takes only a few minutes of your time. Before I learned this trick I was too cheap to buy buttermilk and would always just use the kitchen substitute of milk and a little vinegar. Well, that works, but oh my goodness, this is so much better. Have you tasted buttermilk pancakes with real buttermilk? Or buttermilk syrup? Heavenly. (...and yes and I can make that syrup sugar free believe it or not...) So...before I share with you any of those wonderful recipes, I have to show you my slick way to culture buttermilk. Because it's cheap. And cheap is good. And it's Frugal Friday so cheap is what we do.


How to Culture Buttermilk:
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Pint Buttermilk (from the store - make sure it has active cultures) or 1 cup buttermilk from a previous batch
3 Cups milk (any % is fine)
Clean glass jar

No you don't need a Bosch mixer to do this...oops...

DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Pour buttermilk with active cultures in clean canning jar. Make sure the buttermilk either has active cultures (it should say on the carton), is fresh, or from a batch that you've cultured from within the last week.

Step 2: Fill up the rest of the glass container with milk.

Step 3: Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Yes, I usually shake mine over the sink...just in case...

Step 4: Cover the jar or keep it out of direct sunlight. Let the jar sit to culture on the counter for 12-24 hours. The time will depend on the temperature, how active your cultures were, etc.

Step 5: Test buttermilk to see if it's ready by pouring into a glass. When ready, buttermilk will have thickened some and will coat the sides of the glass. Smell it. It should smell heavenly, not sour. If it smells sour, chances are you've forgotten it on the counter and it got a little too "ripe". It will still be good, but chances are you won't be able to use it to culture your next batch. When you get the time ratio just right you should be able to propagate the stuff for quite a while. If it starts going a little too sour, just buy another 1/2 pint and start over. Easy and frugal.

The cost savings? Well as a rule, milk is cheaper than buttermilk. It should make sense then that if you use only 1/4 buttermilk and 3/4 milk and come out with a quart of buttermilk, that would be cheaper than buying a quart of buttermilk outright. Especially when you consider that you can then use that buttermilk to make more buttermilk and...the cycle can continue indefinitely. It's a wonderful thing and a frugal thing.

Have you ever tried culturing your own buttermilk? What's worked for you? Happy Frugal Friday. Have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial: How to Culture Buttermilk

Posted by admin

I have another kitchen tip/tutorial to share with you today for Frugal Friday that can save you money. I'm going to show you how you can culture your own buttermilk. It is so easy to do and literally takes only a few minutes of your time. Before I learned this trick I was too cheap to buy buttermilk and would always just use the kitchen substitute of milk and a little vinegar. Well, that works, but oh my goodness, this is so much better. Have you tasted buttermilk pancakes with real buttermilk? Or buttermilk syrup? Heavenly. (...and yes and I can make that syrup sugar free believe it or not...) So...before I share with you any of those wonderful recipes, I have to show you my slick way to culture buttermilk. Because it's cheap. And cheap is good. And it's Frugal Friday so cheap is what we do.


How to Culture Buttermilk:
Printable Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
1/2 Pint Buttermilk (from the store - make sure it has active cultures) or 1 cup buttermilk from a previous batch
3 Cups milk (any % is fine)
Clean glass jar

No you don't need a Bosch mixer to do this...oops...

DIRECTIONS:
Step 1: Pour buttermilk with active cultures in clean canning jar. Make sure the buttermilk either has active cultures (it should say on the carton), is fresh, or from a batch that you've cultured from within the last week.

Step 2: Fill up the rest of the glass container with milk.

Step 3: Put the lid on the jar and shake well.

Yes, I usually shake mine over the sink...just in case...

Step 4: Cover the jar or keep it out of direct sunlight. Let the jar sit to culture on the counter for 12-24 hours. The time will depend on the temperature, how active your cultures were, etc.

Step 5: Test buttermilk to see if it's ready by pouring into a glass. When ready, buttermilk will have thickened some and will coat the sides of the glass. Smell it. It should smell heavenly, not sour. If it smells sour, chances are you've forgotten it on the counter and it got a little too "ripe". It will still be good, but chances are you won't be able to use it to culture your next batch. When you get the time ratio just right you should be able to propagate the stuff for quite a while. If it starts going a little too sour, just buy another 1/2 pint and start over. Easy and frugal.

The cost savings? Well as a rule, milk is cheaper than buttermilk. It should make sense then that if you use only 1/4 buttermilk and 3/4 milk and come out with a quart of buttermilk, that would be cheaper than buying a quart of buttermilk outright. Especially when you consider that you can then use that buttermilk to make more buttermilk and...the cycle can continue indefinitely. It's a wonderful thing and a frugal thing.

Have you ever tried culturing your own buttermilk? What's worked for you? Happy Frugal Friday. Have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Keeping Summer on a Budget

Summer's here and I can't believe it. Today is my oldest son's last day of school. Last year at this time I was kind of freaking out. I needed an idea for summer so that I didn't go crazy. I came up with this printable summer plan that we used all summer long and I'm happy to report that it worked so well that I am using it again.

One of our favorite things about the summer plan is that there is something to look forward to each day of the week. Those incentives help our kids want to do their chores and assignments early in the day (ideally without complaining...but realistically of course that doesn't always happen) so that they can participate in the activities.

Another thing I love about the plan is that it provides just enough structure for our kids to feel like they are on a schedule, along with just enough "non-structure" to allow them lots of free time to just be kids. I believe in slowing down during the summer, but I don't believe in complete laziness. Kid's want to accomplish and succeed and we can allow them that by giving them responsibilities and expectations (as well as rewards and incentives) each day.

The plan also helps us to stay on budget because everyone knew what to expect about which activities will cost money and which will be free. This is important during the summer because it's so easy to blow the budget when there is no plan.

As I mentioned, in this plan there are themed activities for each of the days of the week. Here's how the activities break up for each day of the week:

• Make Something Monday - We make a craft, project, snack or treat.

• Library Trip Tuesday  - We go to the library, check out books and sometimes go to story time.

• Wet, Wet, Wednesday - We run through the sprinklers, wash the cars or bikes, make bubbles or do another wet activity.

• Thinking Thursday - We do an activity that helps us learn - a science project, learn some words from another language, have a read-a-thon or another learning activity.

• Field Trip Friday - We go on a field trip somewhere - to the park, to the zoo, to the swimming pool or splash pad. Some cost money, some are free. We plan them ahead of time so everyone knows what to expect.

You can download and print this summer plan at this link. 

During the summer I like to encourage the kids to do extra chores for money. We list those on the upper left corner of the plan along with how much they can earn. Summer is a great time to help your kids learn to work and enjoy working by providing them with chores where they can earn money. What works best for us is to make these chores optional, but expect the kids to fund the cost of some of the activities themselves. For example, last year we went to our city carnival with the kids on a day when all the rides were cheaper. During the week I gave the kids lots of chores where they could earn money and told them that the money that they earned that week could be spent at the carnival. They paid for all the rides and snacks that they wanted and there was no complaining because when their money ran out, we went home. It was a great way to teach responsibility as well as help them to discover the rewards that hard work brings.

Throughout the summer I'll be sharing examples of activities that we do as part of this plan in case you need ideas. Make sure you follow my facebook page because that's where I'll post most of these.

Happy Summer! Ready or not, here it comes. :)

Frugal Friday: Keeping Summer on a Budget

Posted by admin

Summer's here and I can't believe it. Today is my oldest son's last day of school. Last year at this time I was kind of freaking out. I needed an idea for summer so that I didn't go crazy. I came up with this printable summer plan that we used all summer long and I'm happy to report that it worked so well that I am using it again.

One of our favorite things about the summer plan is that there is something to look forward to each day of the week. Those incentives help our kids want to do their chores and assignments early in the day (ideally without complaining...but realistically of course that doesn't always happen) so that they can participate in the activities.

Another thing I love about the plan is that it provides just enough structure for our kids to feel like they are on a schedule, along with just enough "non-structure" to allow them lots of free time to just be kids. I believe in slowing down during the summer, but I don't believe in complete laziness. Kid's want to accomplish and succeed and we can allow them that by giving them responsibilities and expectations (as well as rewards and incentives) each day.

The plan also helps us to stay on budget because everyone knew what to expect about which activities will cost money and which will be free. This is important during the summer because it's so easy to blow the budget when there is no plan.

As I mentioned, in this plan there are themed activities for each of the days of the week. Here's how the activities break up for each day of the week:

• Make Something Monday - We make a craft, project, snack or treat.

• Library Trip Tuesday  - We go to the library, check out books and sometimes go to story time.

• Wet, Wet, Wednesday - We run through the sprinklers, wash the cars or bikes, make bubbles or do another wet activity.

• Thinking Thursday - We do an activity that helps us learn - a science project, learn some words from another language, have a read-a-thon or another learning activity.

• Field Trip Friday - We go on a field trip somewhere - to the park, to the zoo, to the swimming pool or splash pad. Some cost money, some are free. We plan them ahead of time so everyone knows what to expect.

You can download and print this summer plan at this link. 

During the summer I like to encourage the kids to do extra chores for money. We list those on the upper left corner of the plan along with how much they can earn. Summer is a great time to help your kids learn to work and enjoy working by providing them with chores where they can earn money. What works best for us is to make these chores optional, but expect the kids to fund the cost of some of the activities themselves. For example, last year we went to our city carnival with the kids on a day when all the rides were cheaper. During the week I gave the kids lots of chores where they could earn money and told them that the money that they earned that week could be spent at the carnival. They paid for all the rides and snacks that they wanted and there was no complaining because when their money ran out, we went home. It was a great way to teach responsibility as well as help them to discover the rewards that hard work brings.

Throughout the summer I'll be sharing examples of activities that we do as part of this plan in case you need ideas. Make sure you follow my facebook page because that's where I'll post most of these.

Happy Summer! Ready or not, here it comes. :)

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial on Bread Dough

This week I shared with you another great bread recipe that I love for whole grain spelt bread. While I'm certainly no expert, I've been told that I have a talent for making good bread, and making whole grain bread that is healthy as well as delicious has become quite a passion of mine. I've had a lot of bread success, but with that comes some failed attempts as well. Those attempts are discouraging I know. It's especially hard when you try to follow a recipe, but it still just doesn't turn out the way the recipe suggests it should. I've decided in the next few months that I want to share with you information that can help you to become a successful bread maker. There are some secrets that you just can't detail enough in a recipe. And I'd like to share those with you. A few months ago I shared with you a kitchen tip/tutorial all about yeast. If you haven't read it yet, go read it. It's kind of Bread Tutorial 101, and a precurser to what we'll talk about today. Today we're going to talk about adding the correct amount of flour to get the right bread dough consistency.

Bread is a tricky thing because in recipes you can't list the exact amount of flour that you'll need in a recipe. It depends on so many things: humidity, temperature, the type of flour you use, how you measure the flour, etc. So unless you've seen it before, how do you know exactly how much flour that you need? Well today I'm going to eliminate the "guesswork" and show you in a video that I created exactly how much flour you need to make perfect bread.

I created this video this week and I am so excited to share it because this happened to be one of the best batches of bread that I've ever made. It had the perfect amount of flour (and even as much as I make bread that's hard to do every single time). Please excuse the informal quality of the video. I was literally videotaping with one hand while I demonstrated with the other. During parts you can even see the lense cap bobbing back and forth - hee hee. It was the best I had available to me and you can still get the idea even in spite of it's unprofessional quality.

Why am I sharing this for Frugal Friday? I posted about how much money you can save by making your own homemade bread, but that will only work if you actually know how to make it. I hope by sharing this video that it will give you what you need to get started baking your own bread. You can start saving your family money as well as help them eat healthier.



Here's the recipe that I used in the video, but you can use any of the yeast loaf bread recipes on my bread recipe page. They're all great and I love them. There is a little difference for freestanding loaves (like French Bread) and rolls, so look for the tutorial on those to come soon.

Don't have a mixer? Don't worry. You can still make this bread by hand. A friend of mine uses my recipe and makes it by hand and loves the result. You do have to make a few adjustments though. My plan is to demonstrate that in a future kitchen tutorial so stay tuned.

One of my readers shared a comment that I want to share that might help you. She said that she started making their own homemade bread (yes, by hand) and then put the amount that they were saving from buying bread at the store each week into an account. She said that it only took about a year until she had enough saved to buy a Bosch Mixer. What a great idea!

And now I'd love to hear from you. Do you make your own bread? Got any tricks to share?

Happy baking! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial on Bread Dough

Posted by admin

This week I shared with you another great bread recipe that I love for whole grain spelt bread. While I'm certainly no expert, I've been told that I have a talent for making good bread, and making whole grain bread that is healthy as well as delicious has become quite a passion of mine. I've had a lot of bread success, but with that comes some failed attempts as well. Those attempts are discouraging I know. It's especially hard when you try to follow a recipe, but it still just doesn't turn out the way the recipe suggests it should. I've decided in the next few months that I want to share with you information that can help you to become a successful bread maker. There are some secrets that you just can't detail enough in a recipe. And I'd like to share those with you. A few months ago I shared with you a kitchen tip/tutorial all about yeast. If you haven't read it yet, go read it. It's kind of Bread Tutorial 101, and a precurser to what we'll talk about today. Today we're going to talk about adding the correct amount of flour to get the right bread dough consistency.

Bread is a tricky thing because in recipes you can't list the exact amount of flour that you'll need in a recipe. It depends on so many things: humidity, temperature, the type of flour you use, how you measure the flour, etc. So unless you've seen it before, how do you know exactly how much flour that you need? Well today I'm going to eliminate the "guesswork" and show you in a video that I created exactly how much flour you need to make perfect bread.

I created this video this week and I am so excited to share it because this happened to be one of the best batches of bread that I've ever made. It had the perfect amount of flour (and even as much as I make bread that's hard to do every single time). Please excuse the informal quality of the video. I was literally videotaping with one hand while I demonstrated with the other. During parts you can even see the lense cap bobbing back and forth - hee hee. It was the best I had available to me and you can still get the idea even in spite of it's unprofessional quality.

Why am I sharing this for Frugal Friday? I posted about how much money you can save by making your own homemade bread, but that will only work if you actually know how to make it. I hope by sharing this video that it will give you what you need to get started baking your own bread. You can start saving your family money as well as help them eat healthier.



Here's the recipe that I used in the video, but you can use any of the yeast loaf bread recipes on my bread recipe page. They're all great and I love them. There is a little difference for freestanding loaves (like French Bread) and rolls, so look for the tutorial on those to come soon.

Don't have a mixer? Don't worry. You can still make this bread by hand. A friend of mine uses my recipe and makes it by hand and loves the result. You do have to make a few adjustments though. My plan is to demonstrate that in a future kitchen tutorial so stay tuned.

One of my readers shared a comment that I want to share that might help you. She said that she started making their own homemade bread (yes, by hand) and then put the amount that they were saving from buying bread at the store each week into an account. She said that it only took about a year until she had enough saved to buy a Bosch Mixer. What a great idea!

And now I'd love to hear from you. Do you make your own bread? Got any tricks to share?

Happy baking! Have a great weekend.

Frugal Friday: Cost Analysis of Dried beans versus Canned

For today's Frugal Friday post I'd like to explore the cost savings of buying dried beans versus canned. Early this week I posted a recipe about how to make refried beans in the pressure cooker. I alluded to the fact that it's a lot cheaper to cook dry beans from scratch than to buy canned beans. But today I'd like to do the math so that you can see for yourself really how much money you can save by cooking dry beans instead of buying canned beans.

I'm going to specifically compare the price of buying and cooking dry black beans with the price of buying cans of black beans. Because all beans are slightly different in size, cooking time and cost, this analysis will vary slightly if you want to compare a different kind of bean. But I think the conclusions that I present will represent a general rule for all dry beans.

Two important facts about black beans:

1. 1 cup of dried black beans yields about 3 cups of cooked beans.
2. Each 13.5 oz. can of black beans contains about 1-3/4 Cups of cooked beans.

DRY BEANS:
At WinCo right now, the bulk bin price for most kinds of beans (including black beans) is about $1/lb. give or take a few cents. I've found that 1 lb. of black beans is almost exactly 2 Cups dried beans. As per fact #1 above, 2 Cups dried beans will yield about 6 cups of cooked beans.  So 6 cups of cooked black beans will cost roughly $1. If you divide $1 by 6 cups you will find that cooked black beans (from dry beans) will cost about $0.17 per cup.

I can find dry beans a lot cheaper if I buy them in large quantities. I can buy 25 lbs of black beans for $16 (or less). That's $0.64 per pound or $0.11 per cup of cooked dry beans (bought in large quantities).

CANNED BEANS:
Lets compare these prices with the prices for canned black beans. At the grocery store, I can sometimes find canned beans for $0.59 a can on sale. That's a good price, the non-sale price will be closer to $0.75. As per face #2 above, each can will yield 1-3/4 cups of cooked black beans. If I divide the price ($0.59) by 1.75 (for 1-3/4 Cups), I find that buying canned beans at the store (on a really good deal) costs $0.34 per cup of cooked beans. 

ELECTRICITY:
I cook my beans in an electric pressure cooker, but you can also cook them on the stove or even in a crock pot. I'm going to use the pressure cooker to calculate electricity because that's what I use. My electric pressure cooker runs on 1000-Watts or 1KW. As I mentioned in my cost analysis of homemade bread, our electricity costs about $0.10 per kWh (kilowatt hour). Black beans take about 20 to 50 minutes to cook (depending on the recipe and whether you soak them or not). So at the most, the electricity will cost about $.08 to cook a big batch of beans. When that's divided over 6 Cups of cooked beans, that's a little more than $0.01.

CONCLUSION:
Buying canned beans from the store will cost at least twice as much as it costs to buy dry beans and cook them at home. With pressure cookers now to make it easy, there really is no excuse to make your beans from scratch. Not only do you save money, but you can also completely control what goes into the beans by cooking them yourself.

Happy Frugal Friday! I'd love to hear your thoughts or ideas on how to save money. Have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Cost Analysis of Dried beans versus Canned

Posted by admin

For today's Frugal Friday post I'd like to explore the cost savings of buying dried beans versus canned. Early this week I posted a recipe about how to make refried beans in the pressure cooker. I alluded to the fact that it's a lot cheaper to cook dry beans from scratch than to buy canned beans. But today I'd like to do the math so that you can see for yourself really how much money you can save by cooking dry beans instead of buying canned beans.

I'm going to specifically compare the price of buying and cooking dry black beans with the price of buying cans of black beans. Because all beans are slightly different in size, cooking time and cost, this analysis will vary slightly if you want to compare a different kind of bean. But I think the conclusions that I present will represent a general rule for all dry beans.

Two important facts about black beans:

1. 1 cup of dried black beans yields about 3 cups of cooked beans.
2. Each 13.5 oz. can of black beans contains about 1-3/4 Cups of cooked beans.

DRY BEANS:
At WinCo right now, the bulk bin price for most kinds of beans (including black beans) is about $1/lb. give or take a few cents. I've found that 1 lb. of black beans is almost exactly 2 Cups dried beans. As per fact #1 above, 2 Cups dried beans will yield about 6 cups of cooked beans.  So 6 cups of cooked black beans will cost roughly $1. If you divide $1 by 6 cups you will find that cooked black beans (from dry beans) will cost about $0.17 per cup.

I can find dry beans a lot cheaper if I buy them in large quantities. I can buy 25 lbs of black beans for $16 (or less). That's $0.64 per pound or $0.11 per cup of cooked dry beans (bought in large quantities).

CANNED BEANS:
Lets compare these prices with the prices for canned black beans. At the grocery store, I can sometimes find canned beans for $0.59 a can on sale. That's a good price, the non-sale price will be closer to $0.75. As per face #2 above, each can will yield 1-3/4 cups of cooked black beans. If I divide the price ($0.59) by 1.75 (for 1-3/4 Cups), I find that buying canned beans at the store (on a really good deal) costs $0.34 per cup of cooked beans. 

ELECTRICITY:
I cook my beans in an electric pressure cooker, but you can also cook them on the stove or even in a crock pot. I'm going to use the pressure cooker to calculate electricity because that's what I use. My electric pressure cooker runs on 1000-Watts or 1KW. As I mentioned in my cost analysis of homemade bread, our electricity costs about $0.10 per kWh (kilowatt hour). Black beans take about 20 to 50 minutes to cook (depending on the recipe and whether you soak them or not). So at the most, the electricity will cost about $.08 to cook a big batch of beans. When that's divided over 6 Cups of cooked beans, that's a little more than $0.01.

CONCLUSION:
Buying canned beans from the store will cost at least twice as much as it costs to buy dry beans and cook them at home. With pressure cookers now to make it easy, there really is no excuse to make your beans from scratch. Not only do you save money, but you can also completely control what goes into the beans by cooking them yourself.

Happy Frugal Friday! I'd love to hear your thoughts or ideas on how to save money. Have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial: How to Dehydrate Bananas

If you've ever tried making banana chips at home in your dehydrator, you know that it's not as easy as it sounds. Did you know that most banana chips you buy from the store are actually fried in oil? They contain lots of saturated fat and sugar and really aren't all that healthy for you. When you try to make them at home, they turn out like shriveled up little ugly brown things and while they taste okay, they are an absolute pain to make. Cutting all of those little slices and arranging them on the dehydrator trays. They are sticky so they stick to the sheets and wow, what a pain. And they don't even come out crunchy. Just kind of leathery, not matter how long you dehydrate them. I decided after making them the first time that they were not worth it. And after that experience I kind of gave up on dehydrating bananas until...

One day I was visiting my aunt and she had just found a really good deal on bananas and had bought a whole bunch. She taught me this method for drying them and I love it. It works and it's fast and easy and you can dehydrate a whole bunch of bananas at time. They don't come out crunchy like banana chips, but I actually like them better. They are chewy and delicious. They are much healthier because they are just bananas and aren't fried in fat. And you can easily re-hydrate them to use in a lot of yummy recipes. 

Since this is Frugal Friday I'm going to take a slight detour and tell you a story about buying bananas. We have a grocery store about 2 minutes away from our house and I love it. One thing that I love about it is their produce because they often have good sales. I went there not too long ago and found that bananas were on sale for 26 cents a pound. Anyone who buys produce must know that that's a really great price for bananas. These weren't the mushy overripe ones either. These were the good bananas. So I decided that I would buy some to dehydrate. Well I had three bunches in my cart and then I saw that they had 40 lb. boxes of bananas for sale as well. And I thought, Oh cool, maybe I could get a case for even cheaper. The price on the case said $19.99. Doing the math surprised me because the cases of bananas were about 50 cent a pound instead of the 26 cents a pound that they were charging for the other bananas. Almost twice as much! Needless to say I didn't buy the case and stuck with the 3 bunches that I had in my cart. Lesson learned: always do the math!


How to Dehydrate Bananas
Printable Tutorial

Now back to the tutorial. For best results start with bananas that are ripe, but not too ripe. I don't think a few spots will hurt, but if they've gone mushy, better use them for a smoothie or something.

The first step in dehydrating bananas is pretty obvious: peel them.

I love this next step because it is just so awesome. Did you know that a banana is naturally segmented just like an orange or lemon or those other kinds of segmented fruits? It's naturally segmented into three equal parts. Isn't that cool? To segment the banana, gently slide your thumb into the end of the peeled banana that has a slight opening (the non-stem side).

Continue sliding down your fingers through and you will be left with three equal banana segments. If it breaks part way down, don't worry. You can still use it. Just put your thumb where you left off and keep sliding.

Lay your banana segments on the food dehydrator sticky side up. That's right! No stickiness to worry about with this method. Yay!

Repeat these steps until the dehydrator is full. I fit about 3 bunches full of bananas on my 5 trays. That's another thing I love about this method, you can fit a lot of bananas at a time. Then dehydrate for about 12-24 hours depending on your dehydrator and how thick your bananas are. Mine took about 15 hours or so. Bananas are done when they are still bendable, but not sticky. Store in an airtight container (out of direct sunlight) until ready to use.

Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com, idea shared by my Aunt Sharilyn

Dehydrating your own bananas can be a great way to save money. You can buy bananas when you find them on sale and dehydrate them as a yummy snack or for use in many recipes. 

And now I'd love to hear from you. What did you do to save money this week? Happy Frugal Friday and have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial: How to Dehydrate Bananas

Posted by admin

If you've ever tried making banana chips at home in your dehydrator, you know that it's not as easy as it sounds. Did you know that most banana chips you buy from the store are actually fried in oil? They contain lots of saturated fat and sugar and really aren't all that healthy for you. When you try to make them at home, they turn out like shriveled up little ugly brown things and while they taste okay, they are an absolute pain to make. Cutting all of those little slices and arranging them on the dehydrator trays. They are sticky so they stick to the sheets and wow, what a pain. And they don't even come out crunchy. Just kind of leathery, not matter how long you dehydrate them. I decided after making them the first time that they were not worth it. And after that experience I kind of gave up on dehydrating bananas until...

One day I was visiting my aunt and she had just found a really good deal on bananas and had bought a whole bunch. She taught me this method for drying them and I love it. It works and it's fast and easy and you can dehydrate a whole bunch of bananas at time. They don't come out crunchy like banana chips, but I actually like them better. They are chewy and delicious. They are much healthier because they are just bananas and aren't fried in fat. And you can easily re-hydrate them to use in a lot of yummy recipes. 

Since this is Frugal Friday I'm going to take a slight detour and tell you a story about buying bananas. We have a grocery store about 2 minutes away from our house and I love it. One thing that I love about it is their produce because they often have good sales. I went there not too long ago and found that bananas were on sale for 26 cents a pound. Anyone who buys produce must know that that's a really great price for bananas. These weren't the mushy overripe ones either. These were the good bananas. So I decided that I would buy some to dehydrate. Well I had three bunches in my cart and then I saw that they had 40 lb. boxes of bananas for sale as well. And I thought, Oh cool, maybe I could get a case for even cheaper. The price on the case said $19.99. Doing the math surprised me because the cases of bananas were about 50 cent a pound instead of the 26 cents a pound that they were charging for the other bananas. Almost twice as much! Needless to say I didn't buy the case and stuck with the 3 bunches that I had in my cart. Lesson learned: always do the math!


How to Dehydrate Bananas
Printable Tutorial

Now back to the tutorial. For best results start with bananas that are ripe, but not too ripe. I don't think a few spots will hurt, but if they've gone mushy, better use them for a smoothie or something.

The first step in dehydrating bananas is pretty obvious: peel them.

I love this next step because it is just so awesome. Did you know that a banana is naturally segmented just like an orange or lemon or those other kinds of segmented fruits? It's naturally segmented into three equal parts. Isn't that cool? To segment the banana, gently slide your thumb into the end of the peeled banana that has a slight opening (the non-stem side).

Continue sliding down your fingers through and you will be left with three equal banana segments. If it breaks part way down, don't worry. You can still use it. Just put your thumb where you left off and keep sliding.

Lay your banana segments on the food dehydrator sticky side up. That's right! No stickiness to worry about with this method. Yay!

Repeat these steps until the dehydrator is full. I fit about 3 bunches full of bananas on my 5 trays. That's another thing I love about this method, you can fit a lot of bananas at a time. Then dehydrate for about 12-24 hours depending on your dehydrator and how thick your bananas are. Mine took about 15 hours or so. Bananas are done when they are still bendable, but not sticky. Store in an airtight container (out of direct sunlight) until ready to use.

Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com, idea shared by my Aunt Sharilyn

Dehydrating your own bananas can be a great way to save money. You can buy bananas when you find them on sale and dehydrate them as a yummy snack or for use in many recipes. 

And now I'd love to hear from you. What did you do to save money this week? Happy Frugal Friday and have a great weekend.

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial: How to Make Yogurt Cheese

I've posted before about how I make my homemade yogurt (and have done for several years). This has been a big cost savings over time. We use the yogurt in smoothies or eat it with my favorite granola for breakfast. For today's post I want to share how I use yogurt to make yogurt cheese, which is a healthy (and cheap) cream cheese substitute that you can use in many recipes. You can also use yogurt cheese in place of mayonnaise or sour cream.

How to Make Yogurt Cheese:

First place the strainer in the bowl and the cheesecloth or dishtowel on top.

Pour yogurt into the cloth and let  the liquid strain out through the cloth and the strainer. Then put the bowl/strainer in the refrigerator while it is straining for about 12 to 24 hours. 

For this recipe I made homemade yogurt using Chobani Greek Yogurt. I really liked how it turned out. I think it's becoming my new favorite yogurt starter...

I test my yogurt cheese to see if it is done by forming the cloth around the cheese into a ball and gently squeezing. If liquid still drips out, it needs more time. If it doesn't, then the cheese is ready.

Here's what the liquid looks like that drips into the bowl...it's called whey.

Don't throw out the whey. It's really good for you. This batch made about 1-1/2 cups. I will use it to replace the liquid in a recipe that I make soon so that we benefit from all the good stuff in here...

And here's the yogurt cheese - this batch made almost a full cup. 

Homemade Yogurt Cheese

Printable Recipe

*Makes 3/4 - 1 Cup (or 6-7 oz.) of Yogurt Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

I recipe homemade yogurt or 3 Cups of plain yogurt

Strainer
Bowl that the strainer fits above
3 or 4 layers of Cheesecloth or thin cotton dishtowel

DIRECTIONS:
Place the strainer in the bowl and the cheesecloth or dishtowel on top. Pour yogurt into the cloth and let  the liquid strain out through the cloth and the strainer. Then put the bowl/strainer in the refrigerator while it is straining for about 12 to 24 hours. I test my yogurt cheese to see if it is done by forming the cloth around the cheese into a ball and gently squeezing. If liquid still drips out, it needs more time. If it doesn't, then the cheese is ready. Use immediately in recipes calling for cream cheese, sour cream or mayonnaise, or store up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

COST ANALYSIS OF MAKING YOGURT CHEESE:

In my cost analysis of yogurt post, I found that I could make a batch of yogurt (3 Cups) for $0.65 or less. I just bought an 8-oz. package of cream cheese at the grocery store for $1.65. I realize that's kind of a lot, and I usually wait until it goes on sale around $1.25 or less so I'll do my analysis based on both numbers just for comparison. 

8-oz. package of cream cheese for $1.25 to $1.65 works out to be about $0.16 to $0.21/ounce

6-oz. of homemade yogurt cheese for $0.65 works out to be about $0.11/ounce

The homemade yogurt cheese saves me from $0.05 to $0.10/ounce or $0.40 to $0.80 for 8-oz. 

That's a cost savings anywhere from 46% to 92%. That's significant savings! And will surely add up over time. That's not to mention the health benefits of the yogurt cheese instead of cream cheese.

The properties of yogurt cheese are a bit different than cream cheese so it's not always a perfect swap when using yogurt cheese as a substitution, but for many recipes it works just as good. Do some experimenting of your own or look for recipes that I'll post in the future that use yogurt cheese as a substitution for cream cheese.

Well now you know all you need to about how to make yogurt cheese. Have you ever made it? What did you think? What other things have you done to save money this week? Happy Frugal Friday and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.

Frugal Friday: Kitchen Tip/Tutorial: How to Make Yogurt Cheese

Posted by admin

I've posted before about how I make my homemade yogurt (and have done for several years). This has been a big cost savings over time. We use the yogurt in smoothies or eat it with my favorite granola for breakfast. For today's post I want to share how I use yogurt to make yogurt cheese, which is a healthy (and cheap) cream cheese substitute that you can use in many recipes. You can also use yogurt cheese in place of mayonnaise or sour cream.

How to Make Yogurt Cheese:

First place the strainer in the bowl and the cheesecloth or dishtowel on top.

Pour yogurt into the cloth and let  the liquid strain out through the cloth and the strainer. Then put the bowl/strainer in the refrigerator while it is straining for about 12 to 24 hours. 

For this recipe I made homemade yogurt using Chobani Greek Yogurt. I really liked how it turned out. I think it's becoming my new favorite yogurt starter...

I test my yogurt cheese to see if it is done by forming the cloth around the cheese into a ball and gently squeezing. If liquid still drips out, it needs more time. If it doesn't, then the cheese is ready.

Here's what the liquid looks like that drips into the bowl...it's called whey.

Don't throw out the whey. It's really good for you. This batch made about 1-1/2 cups. I will use it to replace the liquid in a recipe that I make soon so that we benefit from all the good stuff in here...

And here's the yogurt cheese - this batch made almost a full cup. 

Homemade Yogurt Cheese

Printable Recipe

*Makes 3/4 - 1 Cup (or 6-7 oz.) of Yogurt Cheese

INGREDIENTS:

I recipe homemade yogurt or 3 Cups of plain yogurt

Strainer
Bowl that the strainer fits above
3 or 4 layers of Cheesecloth or thin cotton dishtowel

DIRECTIONS:
Place the strainer in the bowl and the cheesecloth or dishtowel on top. Pour yogurt into the cloth and let  the liquid strain out through the cloth and the strainer. Then put the bowl/strainer in the refrigerator while it is straining for about 12 to 24 hours. I test my yogurt cheese to see if it is done by forming the cloth around the cheese into a ball and gently squeezing. If liquid still drips out, it needs more time. If it doesn't, then the cheese is ready. Use immediately in recipes calling for cream cheese, sour cream or mayonnaise, or store up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Recipe Source: healthyfamilycookin.blogspot.com

COST ANALYSIS OF MAKING YOGURT CHEESE:

In my cost analysis of yogurt post, I found that I could make a batch of yogurt (3 Cups) for $0.65 or less. I just bought an 8-oz. package of cream cheese at the grocery store for $1.65. I realize that's kind of a lot, and I usually wait until it goes on sale around $1.25 or less so I'll do my analysis based on both numbers just for comparison. 

8-oz. package of cream cheese for $1.25 to $1.65 works out to be about $0.16 to $0.21/ounce

6-oz. of homemade yogurt cheese for $0.65 works out to be about $0.11/ounce

The homemade yogurt cheese saves me from $0.05 to $0.10/ounce or $0.40 to $0.80 for 8-oz. 

That's a cost savings anywhere from 46% to 92%. That's significant savings! And will surely add up over time. That's not to mention the health benefits of the yogurt cheese instead of cream cheese.

The properties of yogurt cheese are a bit different than cream cheese so it's not always a perfect swap when using yogurt cheese as a substitution, but for many recipes it works just as good. Do some experimenting of your own or look for recipes that I'll post in the future that use yogurt cheese as a substitution for cream cheese.

Well now you know all you need to about how to make yogurt cheese. Have you ever made it? What did you think? What other things have you done to save money this week? Happy Frugal Friday and I hope you enjoy your weekend!

This week I'll be linking to some of these link parties.