When it comes to saving money in this era of ever increasing food prices, the scraps matter. Making use of every last scrap of food, from bones, to vegetable peels, to stale bread, these little bits and bobs can be remade into something tasty and save some pennies in the grocery budget.
Some frugal habits are timeless. This is something my grandmother did and her mother before her. They saved stale bread slices to make bread pudding or French toast.
When the week's baking
leads to a bulging baggie of bread ends and stale half-slices stored in the freezer, we make it useful in a breakfast bread pudding.
Since the scraps are non-uniform in size and shape, I find it easiest to dice all of the bread substances. In this batch, I had a half bran muffin, one mini heart-shaped waffle, a tiny square of cornbread, numerous half slices of bread, and several loaf ends too skinny to toast without burning to a crisp. I stirred these cubed bits together with a sweetened egg and milk mixture to bake for a tasty treat at breakfast time. My family thinks it's a special breakfast. I know it's a thrifty breakfast.
But this is nothing new. My grandmother did this and yours probably did too. Some frugal tips save us money as much today as they did a century ago.
This is a good example of the old saying of "Waste not, want not."
ReplyDeleteHi Live and Learn,
DeleteIsn't it funny that when we hear that phrase, it sounds so old fashioned? Yet, in today's times, it's a very helpful way to stretch limited resources. I know more than a few folks who could make their grocery budget go further by following the old mantra.
I almost always make our bread. I rotate from no knead, to country white, to whole wheat, to cracked wheat. And we have bread ends that make delicious bread pudding. Or we grind them up and save in the freezer for meatloaf. I don't save vegetable peels or potato peels but I do use all bones for broth. I'll freeze broth for use in winter soups or anywhere else that needs broth. Getting close to retirement so making sure we get 100% use out of everything we make or buy. Doing lots of practicing for retirement now will make it an easier adjustment when the time comes.
ReplyDeleteAlice
Hi Alice,
DeleteI don't always use vegetable peels for making stock. I often use them in our compost, which I think is another good way to get use from scraps. Then that compost can be added to soil for growing vegetables or herbs, even if in a potted garden. Are you able to compost at your place?
When you make cracked wheat bread, do you soak the cracked wheat before mixing into the dough?
Good job on using your meat bones! Saving bones for broth is not only a good extra use for the bones, but it draws nutrients from the bones that our bodies can use.
I agree, practicing now for retirement can help us work the kinks out of a fixed income before it may really matter.
I soak my wheat before using or we might break our teeth!
DeleteHi Alice,
Deletethank you. This is what I wanted to know.
My grandma served rice pudding and bread pudding for breakfast many times.
ReplyDeleteHi Amy,
DeleteYou just brought back wonderful memories for me. When my kids were really little, we had rice pudding for breakfast many mornings. They loved it, and it used up leftover cooked rice. I'm sure you have fond memories of your grandma serving this to you as a child.
I love the challenge of not wasting food. I save bones and vegetable scraps for stock. I make stock in my instant pot and cool it in the fridge, and then take the fat off the top to use for cooking. I save bacon grease after cooking bacon, and fry all sorts of things in it (pancakes fried in bacon grease are so good.)
ReplyDeleteRecently, I had some almond flour crust mixture (almond flour, butter and sugar) leftover from a dessert I made. I successfully incorporated it into a batch of pancakes.
I eat the heels of bread loaves, even though I do not really like them. Sometimes I cook a dish, and I just don't find it worthwhile. In that case, I eat it anyway (unless there is something actually wrong with it). While I enjoy eating tasty food, I realized a long time ago that some meals are going to mediocre. Sometimes food is just fuel. While this is not an exciting mantra, it has saved me a lot of money.
Hi Tina,
DeleteYum! Bacon grease is good stuff. I do my egg and toast in bacon grease in the morning. I scramble an egg in bacon grease with a little veg oil. There's enough fat left in the pan to "toast" my bread after the egg has cooked. I don't even need to butter the toast!
Your almond flour crust mixture made into pancakes is such a great food save! Great job!
I feel the same way as you, I love the challenge of using every last bit and not wasting. It's very satisfying.
I dislike food waste and when I accidentally forget about something lurking in my fridge and it needs to be thrown out, I struggle with feeling guilty--but sometimes mistakes happen. All to say, yup, I'm right there with you! Many of my meals are based on what needs to be imminently used up before it goes bad. We had taco chicken bowls yesterday, partly because I needed an easy crockpot meal for a workday, and partly because I had an avocado that was ready to use. :) Bonus that my husband's cilantro in the garden is doing well this year--yum.
ReplyDeleteHi Kris,
DeleteWhat you said about many of your meals being based on what most needs using up sums up why I don't meal plan super regularly. Or at least not for every dinner of the week. It seems like I have one, two, or three days each week where I need to use up leftovers or aging produce right away, and they end up inspiring our next dinner menu.
Your taco chicken bowls sound so tasty! What a bonus to have both cilantro and avocado. Care to give some details on how you made the chicken in the crockpot for this meal?
https://www.budgetbytes.com/taco-chicken-bowls/
DeleteLove this meal, although tomatoes don't always agree with my tummy, so I have to limit how often we have it. You could easily stretch it by adding more beans. We sometimes have it on tortillas instead of rice--actually, I saved part of our meal, froze it, and will use it when my husband and I take a vacation at the end of the month. Very easy meal to reheat in the microwave and to eat on a tortilla.
You and I have a similar cooking style. I don't know if I'm capable of meal planning every meal in advance! :) I like the challenge of figuring out what to eat based on what food is in the house.
Hi Lili, I make a savory breakfast stratta with my stale bread. Using chopped leftover ham, the odd breakfast sausage and or bacon. In a greased baking dish place chopped meat , 1/2 a chopped onion, celery and add a tablespoon or two of mayo mix together . Put cubed bread on top. Whisk 6 eggs with 1/4 cup of milk pour over top of bread. Top with 1 can cream of mushroom soup and a 1/2 cup to 1 cup of cheese. Refrigerate overnight. Bake @350 for 30 to 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes then cut into squares to serve. I got this recipe from the Seattle King 5 morning show back in the 80's lol. I make it for brunch occasionally when we are having family over. The best thing is you can expand or shrink the casserole to accommodate how many people you're feeding. Always a hit!
ReplyDeleteHappy baking ! Gaila in the NW
Hi Gaila,
DeleteThat breakfast casserole sounds delicious. Thank you for sharing! That's interesting that it calls for mayo. I'll give this a try soon.