Have You Noticed This?

In the last few years, many holiday or summer foods have gone on sale a bit more in advance of the holiday/season than in years past. It happened here with eggs, this year. Instead of the week leading up to Easter, eggs were on sale two weeks before Easter at one store, then not on sale in that week when they've traditionally been.

Ice cream is seen as a summer food, in many places. It's not at all summer here, yet. We won't have summer for another month. Yet, Fred Meyer advertised a bunch of ice cream products for a 4-day sale this week, long in advance of when most in my area would be buying a lot of ice cream. The Party Pails (1 gallon) were on sale for $2.99 for four days. The sale overlapped with Senior Discount day, so for me, the Party Pails were $2.69. Two years ago, we bought a Party Pail, "on sale" in summer, for $3.99 (regular price is $5.99). The $2.69 price was too good to pass up. I bought our summer's supply of ice cream, 4 pails.

My guess is the marketing works like this -- in the shoulder season leading into the traditional season for a product, retailers lure you into buying their product, with a low price. You use that product, and enjoy it. Then when the real season hits, you are hooked on their brand for that product, and you repeat purchase at a higher "sale" price. That's just my guess. I've seen this with a few other seasonal or holiday items.

Or, maybe I'm just really cynical.

Back to the ice cream. Even if it turns out that all summer long, Fred Meyer advertises their Party Pails at this same low price, I won't be out any money. I seriously doubt they would put this on sale for any less than what I paid yesterday. I did the math. The typical brick-style container of ice cream weighs 48 oz, or 1.5 qts. A Party Pail contains 2.666 of that size container. At $2.69/Party Pail, my cost per smaller 1.5 qt container is $1.01. I never see ice cream on sale for that price in my area. So, I know I got a great deal.

Of course, all of this ice cream isn't even for me, sadly. I can't eat this stuff in servings more than a spoonful. But my family will love it.

16 Fabulous, Reader-Generated, Quick and Easy Suppers

Here are 16 of your fellow readers' tried and true quick and easy supper ideas (from the survey two weeks ago):

photo: By Adonis Chen from Keelung, Taiwan (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons, retrieved, 1 May 2017, from  https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFried_rice_by_Adonis_Chen_in_Keelung%2C_Taiwan.jpg
Fried Rice

The key to quick and easy fried rice is to use leftover cooked rice, leftover meat (if any), and pre-chopped veggies, such as frozen,or previously chopped, by you or commercially.

photo: By jeffreyw (Mmm... cherry tomatoes on pasta) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved, 1 May 2017, from 
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACherry_tomatoes_on_pasta_(14530170849).jpg
Spaghetti (any pasta) w/ tomato-based sauce
 (sausage, veggie, or ground meat)
Dried pasta is a quick cooking grain food. The key to a quick and easy pasta dish is to have ready-made (by yourself or commercial) marinara, adding pre-cooked meat or sausage if desired. Alternatively, make a simple tomato sauce from canned tomato paste or whole or chopped tomatoes, with additional seasonings, often just as good as a long-simmered sauce.

photo: By Dllu (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved
1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AChicken_fettuccine_alfredo.JPG
Pasta with Alfredo, or a Simple Butter and Cheese
Alfredo sauce is butter, cream, Parmesan, garlic and parsley. Black pepper, salt, nutmeg optional. You can sub milk and cream cheese for the cream and part of the Parmesan. Add cooked chicken chunks for extra protein, and cooked broccoli to turn this into a one-dish supper. Simpler still -- cooked pasta, topped with olive oil/butter and grated Parmesan -- no cream needed.

photo: By jeffreyw [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMmm..._Tacos.jpg
Tacos
Soft-shelled (in flour tortillas) or in crispy corn tortillas. The key to quick and easy tacos is to have pre-cooked, pre-prepared fillings, such as pre-cooked meat kept in the freezer, pre-shredded cheese, pre-cooked rice/lentils or beans. Add some raw veggies and salsa, and you're done!

photo: By Bonbon from Brooklyn [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AQuiche_with_carmelized_onions.jpg
Quiche, Crustless Quiche or Baked Frittata
Eggs, milk/cream, veggies, cooked meat, cheese, all stirred together and baked with or without a crust makes a simple dinner, that doesn't require standing at the stove. Go put your feet up while dinner bakes. The key to a quick and easy traditional, in-crust quiche is to keep ready-to-bake pie shells in the freezer (commercial or your own home-made).

photo: By Peteravivangel (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AShawarmafood.jpg
Burritos -- Traditional, Breakfast, or Anything Goes
The key to quick and easy burritos is to have pre-cooked beans on hand (canned or your own frozen), pre-cooked rice, and pre-shredded cheese. Add any veggies that need using up, top with salsa and roll up. For breakfast burritos, wrap cooked eggs, veggies, rice, salsa and cheese in a flour tortilla. A lot of leftovers can be rolled in tortillas for "anything goes" burritos.

photo: By Tomwsulcer (Own work) [CC0], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADinner_at_Friendlys_restaurant_quesedillas.jpg
Quesadillas
Quesadillas are simply flour tortillas, grilled or fried with cheese, cooked meat, veggie fillings. Use traditional fillings like cooked chicken/beef and cheese, tuck in lettuce, tomato, avocado after grilling, or, use up leftover veggies, along with cheese and chili powder or other seasonings and grill. 

photo: By jeffreyw [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved, 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGrilled_cheese_sandwich_with_roasted_tomato_soup.jpg
Grilled Cheese Sandwich and a Bowl of Soup
Always a classic, grilled cheese and tomato soup, but any soup will suffice. The key to the simple soup and sandwich meal is to use a canned or homemade soup (big batch and freeze in meal portions). Grilled cheese sandwiches can be made with American, Cheddar, Swiss, or Mozzarella cheese, then either have them "plain" or tuck in cooked bacon, ham or sliced turkey or chicken.

photo: By Janine from Mililani, Hawaii, United States (breakfast!  Uploaded by Fæ) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ABreakfast!.jpg
Breakfast for Dinner
Breakfast for dinner can be as simple as a fried egg and toast, or stack of pancakes or waffles, or the full-on eggs, cottage cheese, potatoes, sausage, bacon, toast, waffles, and fruit. Add leftover cooked veggies to scrambled eggs for added nutrients. If you start with fried or scrambled eggs, then add whatever leftovers need using, and you'll have a quick, hearty and easy supper in a jiffy.

photo: By Gesalbte (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AChef_Salad.JPG
Main-Dish Salad
This can be in the form of a Chef's Salad (greens and raw veggies with boiled egg, cheese, cooked meat, cooked beans such as garbanzos, and/or nuts) or a Taco Salad (greens, raw veggies, taco meat and/or beans, cheese, and tortilla chips). A good, easy dressing for a taco salad is homemade 1000 Island, ketchup, pickle relish and mayo. For something spicier, sub salsa for the ketchup. 

photo: By Michael J. Bennett (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ARoasted_Chicken%2C_Butterflied%2C_on_Potatoes%2C_Baking_Pan_01.jpg
Roasted/Baked Chicken or Fish with Veggies and Potatoes on a Single Baking Sheet
Pop it all into the oven on one baking sheet and you are free to take a break while dinner cooks. Pair quick to cook chicken or fish, like chicken tenders, boneless, skinless thighs or breasts, with chunks of potatoes, thick slices of carrots, and whole green beans, for even cooking. For bone-in chicken pieces, use larger chunks of potatoes or veggies. 

photo: By FotoosVanRobin from Netherlands [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AHachee_1.jpeg
Cooked Meat (Ground or Chunks) with or without Gravy, Over Mashed Potatoes
This could also be served over cooked pasta or leftover rice. For speedy potatoes, use dehydrated potato flakes. Add a vegetable side dish and salad and supper is ready.

photo: By Legendre17 (Own work) [CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACosta_Rican_Gallo_Pinto.jpg
Rice and Beans Latino-Style
Mexican, Cuban, South American -- rice and beans can be quick and easy. The key to speed is to either use pre-cooked (by you or commercially) beans and rice, or use an instant pot/pressure cooker. Season with garlic, chopped onions, chili powder, cumin and salt. Add a salad and you have a complete meal.

photo: By User:MECU (self) (Own work) [CC BY-SA 2.5 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AOval_Crock_Pot2.jpg
Crockpot Chicken Thighs in Honey/Soy Sauce
Reader suggestion -- "add hot rice and a veggie and I'm done." Sounds super easy and hearty.

photo: By Evan-Amos (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ACast-Iron-Pan.jpg
Cast-Iron Skillet Chicken Dinner
Reader suggestion -- "turn heat on cast iron skillet, throw a chicken thigh in (about one per person depending on how big they are), as it cooks cut it into small pieces, toss in a sliced onion or two, add salt and pepper, deglaze with white wine. serve with quinoa or pasta and steamed (frozen) veggies (which have been cooking while the rest of this is going on)."

photo:By phototram (http://flickr.com/photos/phototram/1386097707/) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) or CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved 1 May 2017, from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AFishcake_on_salad.jpg
Crumbed Fish, Salad, and Kumara
I had to do a little research to uncover what this dish might be. I am guessing that "crumbed" fish is a fish fillet, breaded (hence the crumbs), and kumara I think is sweet potato. Kumara is a type of sweet potato sold in New Zealand and Australia. I hope I got this one correct. It sounds good, balanced, and filling.

I hope something in the list was inspiring to you, for your own quick and easy suppers. thank you all for participating!

April 2017 Grocery Budget Journal

Going into April, I have $383.99 to spend, which includes the carry forward surplus plus allotted amount of $190. I thought about lowering the budget this month, but chose to save that for next month, instead.

March 31. As I mentioned at the end of March, I would consider any purchases on the 30th or 31st of March as part of April's spending. I stopped at Cash & Carry on the way home from an appointment, mostly for eggs, but also wanted cheese and fruit. I bought a 15 dozen case of large eggs for $14.07 (not quite 94 cents/dozen). these are sold as loose pack, which means they aren't in cartons, but are on sectioned trays which are stacked in a box. I also bought a 5-lb loaf of sharp cheddar cheese for $12.47. The sharp cheddar is 50 cents more per pound that mild cheddar, but I enjoy sharp so much more that I can use less in cooking, making this choice affordable, as well as lightening the impact on my digestive system. I also bought a 5-lb bag of shredded mozzarella, for pizzas, for $10.98. Shredded cheese whether cheddar or mozzarella, is less expensive for me. But loaf cheese is nicer for having as slices or cubes in snacking, or alongside a piece of toast and fruit for breakfast or lunch. I bought a 40-lb case of navel oranges for $15.98 (that's about 39 cents per pound), 17 bananas at 47 cents/lb, and a 5-lb bag of Pink Lady apples for $3.48 (just over 69 cents/lb). Pink Lady apples are a late fall apple, so they keep well into the early spring weeks. I spent $59.68, which always feels like a lot to me, when I'm not buying any meat. But I remind myself that I did buy 60 pounds of fruit and enough eggs for 2+ months and cheese for at least 1 month.

I know this sounds redundant but I really tried to buy foods in the most economical way possible this shopping trip. For example, I did buy a 40-lb case of oranges. As they were under 40 cents per pound, this is a very economical fruit for us. In contrast, the apples were 69 cents per pound; so I view them as the "luxury" fruit for us this week, and only bought 5 pounds. The case of eggs sounds like an unbelievably excessive amount. But in actuality, we will go through this case in 2 months. And in the meantime, I will have saved at least 5 cents per dozen in comparison to eggs on sale during Easter week.

April 4. Senior Shopping day at Fred Meyer, 10% off of house brand groceries, beauty, and hygiene, plus kitchen and household stuff and gardening supplies. I bought the lightbulbs which we desperately needed, and bath tissue, fem supplies and vitamins, as I'd planned. In the food depts, I bought 1 gallon of milk (not on sale, but I got a discount of 10%), cost $2.33, 2 15-oz jars of natural peanut butter, on sale, had coupon and got discount, $1.20/jar, 1 loaf of day old whole grain bread, 69 cents, flour tortillas, 10-ct, 89 cents, I bought 3, hot dogs, 8 ct, 80 cents, I bought 2, two 1/2 gallons of soy milk, sale, coupon, and discount, $1.75 each, 7 dozen eggs, 89 cents/dozen,  jar of salsa, freebie, Lara bar, freebie, 1 Lindt chocolate bunny, after coupon $2.50, and a bunch of vegetable gardening supplies, spending $23.14. When I checked out, I was given a $1 off coupon for any purchase, so as soon as I put my groceries in the car, I went back into the store and used that coupon for one more Lindt bunny, $2.50 after coupon. I now have enough chocolate bunnies for all four kids (if you remember, last summer I bought 2 large gold foil Lindt chocolate bunnies at Kohl's with a coupon, for 9 cents each. I've had those tucked away since then, and they'll go to two of the kids and the new ones to the other two. Total spent on food and gardening supplies, $50.57.

In the gardening supplies, I bought vegetable starts for some cool weather veggies for which I haven't gotten to starting seeds, lettuce, kale, chard, plus some new rosemary plants. I'll plant out these veggie starts, and plant seeds in the next patch over. We'll have salads and greens in a few weeks, instead of a couple of months from now.

Spent so far this month, $110.25

April 7. I was at the bank which happens to be next to a QFC. QFC has some of the better markdown prices on milk. I just don't get here very often to check the dairy dept. However, needing to go in person to the bank, I stopped into QFC. I found 1 gallon of skim milk for $1.49, 1 gallon of 1% milk for $1.49, and 1 gallon of 2% milk for $2.29. The 2% has a pull date further out -- explaining the higher price. I buy all 3, as we can use these to get through the next 2 weeks. Total spent, $5.27.

Spent month to date -- $115.52

It's near mid-month and we haven't had a lot of freebies, in the way of leftovers from events or free meals at events, this month. So our spending so far really does represent what has come into the house. I continue to use supplies from the pantry and freezer. So far, this is working, with no complaints. I will hopefully pick up some asparagus and potatoes, but otherwise, if I don't find any great deals for the rest of the month we will be fine. And we have two birthdays this month, so to be able to do birthday dinners and cake on what we have, means that we are in a pretty good place with our supplies.

April 13. Needed envelopes, so I went to Dollar Tree. While there I bought 2 boxes of crackers. Spent $2.

April 13. Stopped in to Fred Meyer to get the last of the Easter basket items. While there I bought a 10-lb bag of potatoes, $2.49 (yikes!), 5-lb bag of carrots, $2.99, 18-oz packages of coating chocolate, 2-milk chocolate, 1-white chocolate, marked down to $1.89 each, 2 loaves of marked down bread, total of 69 cents (the cashier could not get the second loaf to scan correctly, tried numerous times, eventually she said I could have that loaf for free), 1 box of marked down gingerbread tea, $1.89, 3 red sweet peppers for $1, 4 marked down bananas for 39 cents/lb, 1 package of pudding mix, freebie. Total spent,  $15.31.

So far, I've spent $132.83 for the month.

April 22. I gave my son and his fiancee $20 to go out to lunch, while they visit the nearby islands. I took that money out of the grocery budget. spent, month to date -- $152.83

April 30. Totally out of milk, stopped at QFC to load a bus pass for a daughter for May, and found 1 gallon of skim milk for $2.29, and 2 1/2 gallons of soy milk, at $1.69 each. Total spent $5.67.

Later in same afternoon, same daughter and I took some time together to talk and run errands together. While out, went by Fred Meyer, and bought some Easter candy that was marked down 75%, for next year (really, no one ever eats it in our house, once I've hidden it), and also got 3 Friday freebie items, a bag of some sort of popcorn snack, 2 boxes of Sour Patch candies (they subbed this for the bags offered), and a box of Annie's Mac and Cheese. Total spent, $4.32

Spent for the month --$162.82

What I bought:

Dairy
22 dozen eggs
10 pound of cheese
5 gallons milk
2 gallons soy milk

Meat
24 hot dogs

Produce
40 pounds of oranges
21 bananas
5 pounds of apples
10 lbs potatoes
3 red peppers
5 lbs carrots
vegetable gardening supplies, including seedlings for lettuce, chard, kale, rosemary, snow peas,

Pantry
30 ounces peanut butter
3 loaves of bread
30 flour tortillas
jar of salsa (freebie)
lara bar (freebie)
2 Lindt chocolate bunnies
just over 3 lbs of dipping/coating chocolate for making choc-covered strawberries and other yummy things later
1 box of tea
1 package of pudding mix (freebie)
2 boxes crackers
2 movie boxes candy (freebie)
1 box mac and cheese (freebie)
1 bag popcorn snack (freebie)

This is such a short list for an entire month. Even I can see that. Next month I will have a much larger list. We ran out of a lot of items this month. I will be restocking many of those items tomorrow. I also noticed that I received a lot of freebie items this month. I was under budget by $27.18. We  more than made up for that in the mega car repair bill, though. Oh well.

How did your month end up?

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers For the End of April

Friday

• pancakes and syrup
• last of the milk divided between daughters 

Saturday (quasi-birthday celebration for husband, we let him off the hook for dinner and daughters and I made it)

• lentil-ham soup
• drop biscuits
• carrot sticks
• orange wedges
• birthday cake -- scratch, my daughters made it and it was delicious

Sunday (husband cooks)

• homemade flour tortillas
• beans and tomatoes
• canned pineapple chunks
• birthday cake

Monday

• baked chicken breast
• baked potatoes, topped with chives and cream cheese
• sauteed kale
• stewed prunes
• birthday cake

Tuesday

• hot dogs in bargain buns, from the freezer
• oven fries
• cole slaw
• stewed prunes

Wednesday (only 3 tonight)

• spinach frittata, topped with canned tomatoes, seasonings, mozzarella
• brown rice
• 1 orange, split 3 ways

Thursday

• pumpkin, spinach, chicken, potato, black bean, cream cheese (and anything else I could find) soup
• drop biscuits
• stewed prunes

And we got through another week! You know, I've been feeling like it has been a very rainy and chilly year, since the first of the year. I was thinking maybe it was all in my head. Then I saw a report that said this has been the rainiest October-April stretch on record.  My cabin fever has escalated! I have no idea what this means for summer. The year that we had the longest stretch of snow on the ground in winter (3 weeks in front of our house, really unusual for us), we hit an all-time high temp in the summer of 103. Who knows what will happen this year. 

So, my last project is a video. I'm working on that this weekend, and will get it all done, I hope. We really need me to do some cooking and shopping again. Our meals have been on the slim side. What's been cooking at your house this week?

I Haven't Grocery Shopped in Two Weeks and It Feels Like an Eternity

I just have not had time. I miss time. The interesting thing, though, is how much food we actually have in the house. That last shopping that I did two weeks ago wasn't even a big shop. It was just a couple of items that I thought would get through the next day or two. And then the ignition on my car broke.

I ran out of liquid milk on Saturday. I've been mixing up powdered milk as we've needed it. I am all out of any commercial milk that I can have.  So I made a quick batch of coconut milk yesterday, for my own consumption. We are all out of fresh fruit and are now relying on frozen berries, prunes, and canned pineapple. The fresh veggie supply is limited to 2 carrots, 1/4 head of cabbage, several onions, 3 or 4 lbs of potatoes, and whatever I can scrounge from the garden. I do have canned yams, pumpkin, tomatoes, and corn, still, plus a couple of meals of frozen spinach. It is slim pickins around these parts. Oddly, the kitchen freezer continues to look very full. I keep digging around in there to find goodies. Yesterday, I found another container of pineapple liquid (saved from draining canned pineapple). I've been sick since Saturday, so that tasted good, and helped rehydrate me.

I am wondering just how long I can stretch this limited shopping. Tuesday is Senior Discount day, so I will be adding a milk supply, as well as some fresh produce, tortillas, hot dogs, and cheese.

How about you? Are your grocery supplies dwindling for the month? Just a few more days as the month draws to a close. Be back tomorrow morning!

The Quick Supper Survey Results (with the staples list for items to keep on hand)

That quick meals survey . . .
(By the way, my favorite part of that survey was the image at the top of each page. I don't know if you caught this, but stuff moved in the image, such as the salad was tossed, the wine in the glasses swirled around. I thought that was amusing.)

There were 41 respondents. Here's the breakdown of how the results ended up.

From the moment that you walk into the kitchen until dinner must be served, can you estimate how much time you usually have?

22.2%  20-30 minutes
36.1%  30-45 minutes
41.7%  45 minutes or more

Are you and your family. . . ?

97.2% omnivores (we eat a variety of foods, including animal products)
2.8%  vegan (strictly no animal products)

What are some of the tricks that you employ to keep dinner prep-time to a minimum, when you are busy? (this was a check all that apply question)

44.4%    I prepare make-ahead meals for the freezer, to heat and eat on busy nights     
41,7%    I cook extras on the weekend, we eat leftovers throughout the week      
61.1%    I cook extra on night one, we eat leftovers on night two   
5.6%      We eat a lot of commercial/convenience products, or get take-out often   
72.2%    I prepare simple meals, using minimal, but fresh ingredients   
16.7%    Someone in the family gets dinner started before I return home, then I help as I am able 
47.2%    I use a crock-pot or Sabbath mode on my oven, to start dinner prep before I leave in the morning  
19.4%    We eat non-traditional dinner foods, or peanut butter sandwiches 
13.9%    Other   (take a day to chop fresh vegetables for the week; we usually eat what is in the garden at the time, and we usually eat vegetarian or fish; I batch cook grains, beans, potatoes on the weekends; I use my electric pressure cooker)

What staples do you think would be most handy to have on hand for quick meals?
Listed in descending order:

19 dried pasta,

18 eggs

17 frozen veg (one specified like veggie blends)

15 beans, canned or dry, or frozen, refried or plain and 1 lentils (I listed separately because they’re quick cooking, which makes them good for fast meals)

11 rice

10 cheese

9  pre prepped cleaned fruit/ veg/ salad items, salad mix

8  pre-portioned cook frozen beef, ham, poultry

8  fresh vegetables:including broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, onions

7  ground beef or ground turkey

6  canned tomatoes, tomato paste, rotel, puree

5  potatoes

4  frozen rice portions, orzo

4  canned or frozen soup,

4  convenient fruit/veg sides (applesauce, canned, frozen or whole fresh fruit, etc.)

4  baking supplies such as flour, sugar etc.

4  tortillas, pitas, wraps, taco shells, tortilla chips

4  frozen fish (defrost ahead of time), or frozen shrimp,

3  homemade or jarred of marinara

3  milk 

3  frozen chicken breasts, or boneless skinless chicken thighs

3  canned tuna or salmon

3  bread

3  frozen chicken breasts, or boneless skinless chicken thighs

3  butter

3  sausage,turkey smoked sausage or kielbasa, chicken Italian sausage

2  quinoa, polenta, couscous

2  frozen pesto and other sauces

2  pre-made homemade chicken or vegetable  stock,

2  frozen meat,
2  frozen chicken

2  sour cream,

2  frozen pizza dough/bread,or garlic bread

1  frozen lemon juice in ice cubes

1  unsweetened nut milk

1  saved bacon/ham fat
1  dehydrated potatoes
1  whole turkey breasts and chicken,(for crockpot)
1  proteins
1  cooked fruit and vegetables

1  grilled cheese fixings/panini

1  quick cooking grains

1  cream of mushroom soup (hangs head in shame

1  precooked onions

1  variety of spices and herbs

1  homemade frozen soffrito

That's some list! Look it over and see what jumps out to you. Just because something was only listed once doesn't mean that it's not valuable. It could be one of those ah-ha moments when you think, yes, that would really benefit me. And notice those items that you do probably already keep on hand, but that you never think to use for quick suppers. I listed things in groups where I felt they belonged together. Some things which are vey similar, I listed separately, because I felt they could be used in different ways, or offer more convenience, pre-seasoned, etc.

I will get to the other question in the survey tomorrow or the next day. These compilations take some time, as we all use different words for similar items. Have a great day!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Easter Week (that means a ham featured heavily in meals)

Friday

• scrambled eggs
• brown rice
• oranges
• carrot sticks

Saturday (husband cooks)

• rice and lentils, sort of curry
• carrots

Sunday (husband cooks, we had our ham meal at lunch)

• tomato-lentil-carrot soup
• fried corn tortillas

Monday

• leftovers from Sunday, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and green bean casserole

Tuesday

• leftover ham, mashed potatoes and gravy
• sauteed spinach and onions

Wednesday

• leftover ham
• sweet potato chunks
• French bread

Thursday

• ham and lentil soup, with red and yellow sweet peppers, onions, ham stock and seasonings
• drop biscuits
• orange wedges

Hi, there! I'm sorry I wasn't around yesterday. I am in a huge time-crunch this week, and through the weekend and early next week. I lost a day and a half of work-time in the past week, due to waiting half a day in a parking lot to be towed to a car repair, and then Easter with the family. I'm not sure I've ever felt this busy. Maybe when my twins were infants and I had a 7 year old in the house, too. I just barely managed to get meals on the table. But I'm managing. What did you manage for meals this past week? Anyone not have ham? If you didn't do ham for Easter, what did you choose?

I hope you all had a great week, and wishing you a lovely weekend!

Survey on Quick and Easy Suppers

Humor me one more time, please. So, in my class, I have to execute one more survey, to familiarize myself with another web product. However, this time I can choose my topic, and there were no limitations. Since I really do not like asking someone to do something from which they will not receive any benefit, I tailored this survey to one of our collective interests: saving money while preparing inexpensive, home-cooked meals.

As far as survey products go, this one has a more attractive appearance than the last one. It feels easy to navigate on the respondents end, too. Both of those are important features, I think. Let me know in the comments, on my blog, what you think, or if you have trouble with the form. I don't know how well this will work, embedded on this blog; and I won't know until this becomes active.

And if you don't have time right now, or your mobile device doesn't support this survey, no worries. I only need a handful of guinea pigs participants.  Some time next week, I'll post a compilation of the results. Maybe we can all take something away from this, in the form of idea exchange.
Have a lovely Wednesday!

So, How Was Your Easter?

I hope you had a wonderful day with family and friends on Easter. My day was busy (surprise, surprise). I packed a lot into 24 hours. We decided on an Easter lunch following church, as I had a project to work on in the evening.

So, our menu. I had mentioned that I had a ham in the freezer, and several other ingredients with which I could pull together an Easter dinner. I had planned on going out Friday and picking up some asparagus and maybe strawberries. Best laid plans . . . Thursday afternoon I had to run out and get envelopes for taxes (3 sets of taxes). While our running those errands, my car decided to quit. I was stranded in a parking lot for several hours, waiting for a tow truck for the car, and family to come get me. My car needs some major work, including a part which won't be in until Wednesday. I have been without a car since Thursday afternoon. So, back to Easter dinner, no asparagus or strawberries. However, I did put together a menu with what I had.  And here's what I had in my kitchen to work with:

• a frozen ham
• bag of potatoes
• cans of sweet potatoes
• pecans
• canned green beans
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• onions
• bread
• frozen plum halves
• frozen pie pastry
• frozen mounds of whipped cream
• pickles and olives
• cream cheese
• chives in the garden
• boxed crackers
• sparkling apple cider

When I look at it, that's a pretty amazing list of delicious foods to draw from. Here's what was on our Easter table:

• baked ham, sliced
• mashed potatoes
• green bean casserole, using this substitute for the canned, fried onions
• sweet potato souffle, topped with pecans, brown sugar and butter
• chive and cream cheese spread for crackers
• olives and pickles
• open-faced plum pie, topped with whipped cream
• sparkling cider and hot tea

That's a pretty decent meal for a holiday, considering I couldn't get out to buy special ingredients. The bonus was that I made enough of everything except the pie, to have leftovers for dinner on Monday!

I Haven't Really Looked Around Much Lately

I've had my head in projects, taxes, and problems so much so that lately, I just haven't noticed all of the beautiful stuff happening in the garden. I was outside for an hour yesterday afternoon, and this is just a sampling of what I saw.

The tulips look fabulous. I counted 50 blooms on this patch!

Not only is the cherry tree full of blossoms, but there were so many bees in it yesterday.

Springtime flowers looking amazing after so much gloom of winter, here.

A year ago, I bought a bunch of primrose plants that were way past their prime, on clearance. A Year later, they look terrific!

The violets are everywhere.  I'll be adding some to the top of a cake that I'm making this week. They're edible, but this variety has no flavor.

I have so much rhubarb. I need to get busy with the pies and crisps, again!

I hope you had a lovely Easter. It's late and I need sleep. I'll give you the details of our Easter, tomorrow. Have a great day!

I've run into a kinda busy streak . . .

. . . so I'm taking a few days off. When I mentioned I had been kinda busy to my son last night, he said that was a bit of an understatement. I'll spend this week catching up on some things that I've let slip (like getting the taxes done, yikes!), and be back next week.

Wishing you a lovely Easter!

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the Week

Spinach Frittata

Friday

• leftover Cabbage Patch soup
• orange wedges
• toast

Saturday

husband cooks

• egg, rice and cheese casserole
• cooked carrots
• cooked pumpkin

Sunday

husband cooks

• black bean tacos in home-fried shells, with
• cheddar cheese, canned tomatoes, and chopped cabbage
• carrot sticks

Monday

• spinach frittata topped with canned tomatoes and mozzarella
• brown rice
• orange wedges

Tuesday

• French toast, using some sourdough French that was given to us, and I've kept in the freezer
• topped with cream cheese, pineapple chunks, banana slices, orange segments, vanilla-rhubarb jam -- really yummy! 

Wednesday

• beef and black bean burritos (I had a cooked hamburger patty in the freezer, so I crumbled it up into the beans, onions, and canned tomatoes)
• orange segments

Thursday

• spinach frittata
• pasta with canned tomatoes
• jam thumbprint cookies, using some frozen dough, these baked while I assembled the frittata

What a week. Time is going by so quickly I can barely keep up. I am sure that you know the kind of week that I am talking about, right? But we always manage to get through everything.

So, thank you again for participating in my survey/poll. Do you want to know what your fellow readers, here, think? Here are the results. Over 50 people responded. The program only allowed me to see answers to the first 25 on Wednesday, and for the 18-20 who responded on Thursday. On Wednesday I received notification that my poll was full, and an additional 20 had responded or attempted to respond, without recording their votes. The message also said that I could pay a fee to get the results that went above 25. No thanks. My instructor said she'd accept as few as 12 participants. I archived the total from Wednesday, so I could allow those who wanted to participate a chance on Thursday.

Late last night, I tallied both days of polling, and he's the percentage breakdown.

What age do you think is too old to begin a new career?

• 0% said 40-50 years old
• 15% said 50-60 years old
• 85% said you're never too old to embark on a new career

What is more important in choosing a career?

• 16.5% said earning potential
• 65% said personal fulfillment
• 18.5% said service to others

How many different career paths have you taken?

• 25% said one
• 55% said two or three
• 20% said four or more

I thought the results were pretty interesting, myself. Not one of us thought that 40-50 is too old to change direction in a career. Obviously, at 45 years old it would be considerably more difficult to suddenly chose to become a surgeon. But many people have made significant career swings in their later years.

A few of us have just had one career path. That surprises me, as I have always been all over the place. Someone mentioned in the comments that perhaps career path needed definition. For instance, I worked in several fast food places between the age of 16 and 19. Does that mean that fast food was a career path of mine? I wouldn't consider it one, as I wasn't supporting myself at the time. However, in my early 20s, I was a restaurant manager for a year and a half. While I never set out for a career in restaurant management, this was a direction my employment took, to pay the bills and support myself. And I consider that time to be very valuable in learning how to manage businesses and employees. A couple of years after that job, I found myself in a management role again, this time in a department store. I managed the home division of a So. Cal. department store. My prior work in the restaurant was very beneficial in this new job. 

I was most happy to see that an overwhelming amount of us feel that no age is too old to start a new career. And I hope this goes for many of life's major pursuits, that we're never too old (with a couple of exceptions, like having kids, eventually we age out of that one).

Some of us feel that service to others is most important in choosing a career. That's a wonderful thing to know about this group. Many of us think personal fulfillment is most important. And a few of us think earning potential is most important. 

What I feel about these numbers is they are a snapshot of how each of felt when we clicked the buttons. In addition, they reflect our stages in life, our current living situations, and the struggles we've each endured. We're all on a journey, and likely some of our answers will change in a few years. Some of our answers would have been vastly different if we had been asked 20 years ago. My 30 year old self might have thought 45 years old would be too old to change direction and start a new career. My 25 year old self might have thought earning potential was most important.

Anyway, a lot of thoughts in my head about this. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for providing me with your thoughts. I am in the process of crystallizing my ideas of what my next step will be. I am getting an ever closer mental picture.

Have a great weekend!

When is Spending $3 on Lettuce Seedlings Actually a Good Deal?

When it means that we will have garden salads 6 weeks earlier than if I started from seeds right now.

This is supposed to be a six-pack, but I counted 15 seedlings
 in here. If I'm careful, i can tease each out separately,
and have 15 heads of lettuce for $3.

For various reasons, I didn't get lettuce seeds started indoors this winter to plant out this month. If I were to start seeds this week, I wouldn't have lettuce to harvest for another 8-10 weeks. With the seedlings, I should be able to harvest lettuce in about 3-4 weeks. In between those 3-4 weeks and the 8-10 weeks, I would still be needing leafy greens for my family; which means I would be buying lettuce or other greens in that time period. By buying the seedlings, I will save about a month of purchased greens, which could cost about $8, given two heads of lettuce or other greens per week, multiplied by 4 weeks, priced at about 99 cents/head. So, I come out $5 ahead after the cost of the seedlings.

There are times when buying the seedlings makes financial sense. Another example is in buying tomato seedlings. If those don't get started indoors early enough, there simply isn't time for them to produce very much, in short growing seasons.

I will be starting lettuce seeds in the same bed with the seedlings, so there won't be need to buy more lettuce seedlings.

P.S. if you couldn't access the poll yesterday, I've archived the results from yesterday and have opened the poll up for another day. There's a limit to how many people can access the poll, so this one may fill up too. Anyway, today I figured out how to embed it into my blog, to make things easier for you.

A Poll Today About Entering the Workforce Later in Life

You know that I've been taking classes off and on for the last 5 years or so. Sometimes the class is just because I want to learn to do something or learn about something. And other classes are geared toward me finding a new career path (aside from my Queen of the Palace job). I have no idea how hard this is going to be. But I am preparing myself to do this.

I'm at that point in my life when I'm looking around and thinking "you know, I think I still have something to offer this world." I've done a lot of volunteer work over the years, but I want more than even that. I want to be doing something that engages my mind and my spirit. Do you think it's too late for me? Am I too old to enter a new career?

I'm fortunate that I can choose to do whatever I can find myself qualified for. I mean, I am at a point where I can somewhat choose a field in which I want to work. My field has always been art appreciation/history and design. That's what I have always been drawn to. I also enjoy writing. My class in January and February highlighted where my writing still needs improvement. I've also been beefing up my knowledge of art, particularly everything that happened in the art world since the 1940s. (I don't know why, but when I was in school in the 80s, the art history classes ended when we hit the 1940s.)

I don't now how this will all work out, but I am having faith as I take each step, that I am moving toward a goal. I am taking another class toward this goal right now. It's a technology in the work place sort of class. I've put together a couple of presentations, and this week we've been asked to put together a poll, using web resources. As my focus right now is getting back into a career, at my advancing age, I put together a 3-question poll concerning that subject.

This quick poll is for anyone interested. It's through a polling website. All answers are anonymous (even I won't know what you think). You can answer the questions by going to:

PollEv.com/elizabethmou558

The survey will load and you just click on your answers. Not much to it. You can also do the poll through text. But you know me, if the web is free, and texting might cost money (if you have a pay as you go plan, or in another way pay per text), go for the free way. These are the questions. Don't answer here, but click the boxes at the website. If anyone is interested, I'll post the results in percentages on Monday or so. The poll/survey closes at midnight, Thursday.

What age is too old to embark upon a new career?

1) 40 to 50 years old
2) 50 to 60 years old
3) It's never too late to begin a new career


What is more important in choosing a career path?

1) earning potential
2) personal fulfillment
3) service to others


How many different career paths have you taken?

1) one
2) two to three
3) four or more



by web:   PollEv/elizabethmou558

you can text to enter the poll, but not necessary:    ELIZABETHMOU558 to 22333


And really, do you think that I am too old to make this change?

April's Shopping Plans

Today is Senior Shopping Day at Fred Meyer, so I'll be heading over there in a bit. I'm making out my list of needs for the month. At the top of the list is lightbulbs. The strangest thing happened last month; four bulbs in the kitchen all went out within 2 weeks of each other. We have a fixture above the kitchen table that uses 5 bulbs. Well, 3 of them went out. I need to bring our kitchen back up to brightness, so I'll be picking up replacement bulbs, using the 10% discount today. Other items on my list for the month:

• milk, regular and soy/almond
• feminine hygiene supplies
• bathroom tissue
• more eggs (they are on sale, and with discount will cost about 89 cents/dozen)
• bulk almonds (on sale, and I have a coupon to use in that department)
• a Lindt Easter treat (again, I have a coupon) and maybe one other treat
• carrots, celery, potatoes, frozen peas, and a little asparagus
• additional fruit (beyond what I bought last Friday)
• vitamins and supplements
• gardening supplies
• some inexpensive Easter gifts, from Daiso, likely
• raisins
• cocoa powder
• butter

In addition, last Friday, I stopped at Cash & Carry after an appointment. Everything that I bought there was put into April's grocery spending. I bought:

• 5-lb loaf of sharp cheddar
• 5-lb bag of shredded mozzarella
• 15 dozen case of large eggs
• 5-lb bag of Pink Lady apples
• 40-lb case of navel oranges
• 17 bananas

It's not a super big list, but then we still have a lot to use, at home. With eggs in abundance, we will once again be eating a lot of egg dishes for dinner. We had a spinach frittata last night, and it was delicious.

April and All of the Great Opportunities for Frugal Entertainment

April is the month of fruit tree blossoms in my garden. The month begins with the pears and cherries, and finishes with the plum and apple trees. From a frugal living standpoint, what I love about spring and summer is the opportunity for cheap or free entertainment. Some of my favorite frugal fun this time of year:

• weekend picnics at the park
• donut breakfasts at the beach
• visits to the botanical gardens
• croquet on the lawn
• cutting flowers from my garden
• planting the summer vegetable garden
• soaking up the sunshine on the deck
• Saturday night hot dog cook-outs around the fire ring
• a cup of coffee with a friend, sitting on the patio at the coffee shop, which overlooks the beach
• gallery strolling in the nearby, old town artsy area
• going to the "expensive" garden center to look and get ideas, then Home Depot to buy 

What would you add to a springtime frugal entertainment list?