tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post764935549930516021..comments2024-03-28T16:38:45.931-07:00Comments on creative savv: November's Rather Loose Grocery Plans (and What I've Bought Already)Lilihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-53204416300747679722019-11-05T08:13:02.698-08:002019-11-05T08:13:02.698-08:00Hi Alice,
That jello/pudding combo sounds deliciou...Hi Alice,<br />That jello/pudding combo sounds delicious. What a yummy thing to have that is low-carb. Many years ago, I bought a Weight Watchers mix for sugar-free chocolate mousse that was very tasty. It was Easter and one of our guests was diabetic. This was a huge hit with all of us, so much so that I would sometimes buy that mix just for my family.<br />Thank you for sharing your low-carb dessert recipe!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-23413135864926387502019-11-05T08:09:49.570-08:002019-11-05T08:09:49.570-08:00Hi Vanessa,
Your hot pocket idea sounds wonderful....Hi Vanessa,<br />Your hot pocket idea sounds wonderful. I could do an empanada dough to stuff, possibly. Hmmm. I'll think on this. Thank you for the suggestion, Vanessa.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-59253716625537864492019-11-05T04:28:47.202-08:002019-11-05T04:28:47.202-08:00Lili,
For the jello, I make a sugar free raspberr...Lili,<br /><br />For the jello, I make a sugar free raspberry jello with crushed strawberries made according the directions. Let it set. Then I whip up sugar free vanilla pudding and put in about 1/2 a container of "light" whipped cream and gently mix it together. Put that over top of the jello. It is so good and my husband will eat this. Yes, I use raspberry jello with strawberries because it's what I had on hand and that is a very good combination. But you can use whatever jello/fruit combo your family likes. I think I might just use a little bit less water in the jello as well as a little bit less milk in the pudding to make a thicker jello. Basically it is an almost sugar free dessert and very light on carbs. <br />AliceAlicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12660543650879805736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-71481398866101380682019-11-04T19:02:53.340-08:002019-11-04T19:02:53.340-08:00Biscuit bombs seem to be the hip thing in most rec...Biscuit bombs seem to be the hip thing in most recent Pillsbury emails. It’s basically a hot pocket with biscuit dough as the pastry shell. Easy to eat in social situations and you could fill them any number of ways. Chicken with a basic red sauce and pinch of mozzarella would make killer mini chicken parm-ish calzones. Maybe mushroom and peppers for a vegetarian version. VanessaKChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15081075970881723748noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-17459202699187361112019-11-04T17:39:32.467-08:002019-11-04T17:39:32.467-08:00Hi Kris,
My mom used to make cheese straws. I made...Hi Kris,<br />My mom used to make cheese straws. I made them once, but don't remember if they turned out as good as my mother's or not. That's a possibility! I also like the idea of bringing soup as well as mini crepes. No potatoes yet. Thank you for your suggestions, Kris! I'm also thinking mini cream puffs filled with chicken salad. A lot of this depends on how much work I want to do on Saturday.Thanks for your ideas. Yours and Alice's are very helpful.<br />Have a great evening, Kris!Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-1535466476124116212019-11-04T17:36:04.685-08:002019-11-04T17:36:04.685-08:00Hi Alice,
I love your ideas. The pumpkin mini muff...Hi Alice,<br />I love your ideas. The pumpkin mini muffins are a possibility, as are small meatballs. No ham yet. Thank you for the suggestions!<br />I prefer chicken over turkey, myself. But it is nice to cook a large turkey and have all of that meat leftover. For mashed potatoes, could you substitute cauliflower for part or all of the potatoes? What's your jello? <br />Have a good evening, Alice.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-4416136735023869772019-11-04T12:14:04.211-08:002019-11-04T12:14:04.211-08:00How about mini-crepes? You could pre-make the cre...How about mini-crepes? You could pre-make the crepes and stuff them with whatever sounds good, sweet or savory. Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-86138381019087431802019-11-04T11:37:47.820-08:002019-11-04T11:37:47.820-08:00Sigh. That was me, Kris. Again. I blame my cat ...Sigh. That was me, Kris. Again. I blame my cat who is laying on my arm while I try to type. Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-54019771029502632252019-11-04T11:36:53.915-08:002019-11-04T11:36:53.915-08:00Didn't you serve a smooth soup in small glasse...Didn't you serve a smooth soup in small glasses for one of your parties? Would that work, or is it too fussy? I was also wondering about cheese straws. I've never made them but they look easy. They do use a lot of butter but I did find an oil-based version here, although there were no ratings: https://www.cooks.com/recipe/z49y42sv/mary-lou-webbs-cheese-straws.html<br />I'll try to put on my thinking cap and come up with more. Do you have any russet potatoes? I've heard of people making nachos out of them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-54185954608131463552019-11-04T09:49:16.391-08:002019-11-04T09:49:16.391-08:00Pumpkin bread mini muffins could be a nice brunch ...Pumpkin bread mini muffins could be a nice brunch item. How about ham balls or small meatballs without a lot of sauce with a toothpick in each one? Or do mini muffin quiches. <br /><br />I hope not to have a turkey this year. I prefer chicken and we have a lot of that in the freezer. Our expenses for Oct. were a bit higher than I would have liked. Mostly from needing food after having missed most of Sept. and needing to restock and then buying a few things specifically for my low carb food. We also bought some meat on sale that is for use during the winter month that we put in the freezer. <br /><br />I'm also not buying a lot of baking items since I really need to give that up now. I will make my husband once in a great while but the risk is too great to nibble if I make it for events. I have so much pasta in the pantry from my Amish store run this summer and now I can't eat it but I will still make things for the kids when they come home. No potatoes unless I am planning a roast or something for when family comes. It is working but I do miss my mashed potatoes and bowls of rice!<br /><br />I have a wonderful jello that will be made often as it is low carb and sugar free. My husband even likes it even though he doesn't eat jello (too many hospital stays with too many servings of jello!) but he will eat this jello that I make.<br /><br />Alice<br />Alicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12660543650879805736noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-49548701271854757662019-11-04T09:03:04.526-08:002019-11-04T09:03:04.526-08:00Hi Kris,
That is an awesome price on chocolate chi...Hi Kris,<br />That is an awesome price on chocolate chips. I'd buy several packages at that price, too! I'm hoping for $1.78/package at WinCo. I bake for our church every couple of months. I don't bake as much as I used to for our family, though. I don't think I enjoy baking as much as I used to. Maybe I'm just burnt out. <br /><br />This next Sunday is my week to bring treats again. I'm trying to think of something non-sweet to bring that fits with what I have on hand. We go to a later service that ends around noon. I think it would be nice to have something non-sweet in addition to the usual cookies. Any suggestions? For protein, we have chicken, ground beef, shredded cheese, cream cheese, eggs, and raw almonds. I have several types of pasta, and brown rice, as well as flours and oats. I have canned tomato products and pumpkin, plus fresh squash, apples, and oranges. I'm thinking there might be some sort of entree that I could make as appetizer portions, or maybe some sort of savory snack. Suggestions welcome.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-32049102407264857562019-11-04T08:54:21.796-08:002019-11-04T08:54:21.796-08:00Hi Live and Learn,
We have had to take from other ...Hi Live and Learn,<br />We have had to take from other categories before. Most of the time, we borrow from our long term savings. These instances are for the large, unplanned necessary spending that go beyond what we have set aside for specific categories, such as our very high medical expenses the past 2 years, car repairs, and furnace/water heater repairs/replacements. When we do borrow in this way, we then work hard to repay ourselves. Otherwise, we'd deplete our long term savings and be unable to live well in the years that we won't be able to physically work. I would rather feel "poor" now than feel "poor" when I'm 90. And I reevaluate how much is allocated for each category every month as I set up the next month's budget. I make small changes, to see if we can handle them. If we can, then the next month I make another small change. We're doing okay. I just have to be careful most of the time so we can afford the things that matter most to us.<br />Have a great day, Live and Learn.Lilihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13292553654219380455noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-68614240825652280492019-11-04T08:15:15.899-08:002019-11-04T08:15:15.899-08:00Ah yes, we are in the season of sales. Chocolate ...Ah yes, we are in the season of sales. Chocolate chips at Aldi are $1.29/package so I bought 4. In the past, these sales have extended through Christmas, but sometimes I am surprised so I thought I'd buy ahead. I do a lot of baking for church/teen events and I like to keep chocolate chips on hand. Glad to see you are taking advantage of the savings now--I think you are smart, especially since you are buying staples, not goodies. Krisnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4055690688282230469.post-74957351021774911942019-11-04T04:20:49.330-08:002019-11-04T04:20:49.330-08:00If you are disciplined about borrowing from the fu...If you are disciplined about borrowing from the future like you are, I think it works okay. In fact, I don't know how you could get more disciplined than you are. And smart about it all. It's all about averages.<br /><br />I know that you very carefully budget for all of your expenses including planning for future things that might show up. And that you've decided that the food budget is where you think you can have the most impact on reducing expenses. However, do you ever borrow or take from category to category? How often do you reevaluate the total picture to see how you want to allocate your income?<br /><br />Live and Learnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13493777474885053903noreply@blogger.com