Making Budget Foods and Recipes More User-Friendly: Cooking Dried Beans and Making Hummus

As I wrote last week, a friend of mine recently made a wise observation. She noted that a lot of folks weren't raised learning basic frugal cooking skills. Instead, in their family homes of origin, a lot of foods that they consumed were what we'd recognize as convenience foods, such as boxed meal helpers. There's nothing at all wrong with that scenario. However, they now find themselves (through no fault of their own) on a very limited budget, unemployed or forced into early retirement due to this pandemic, struggling financially right now and looking for help so that they can help themselves. Enter Basic Frugal Foods Made Easy, my weekend version of this blog that goes back to the basics to help others make very delicious foods while sticking to a tight budget. Remember, once you learn a piece of information or a new skill, you own that information to use over and over again. 

When you ask what types of foods are considered frugal, dried beans pop up in the top 10 of just about every list. And they are frugal, at about 6 to 11 cents per serving. They're also mostly fool-proof to cook from scratch. If you compare cooking dried beans to, say, making a cake from scratch, you're going to have far more success on your first try with the beans over that cake. Plus, beans are extremely versatile. Add a cup or two of cooked beans to a basic vegetable soup (even canned), and you've turned a light soup into something substantial. Throw some cooked beans in with raw vegetables or grains and you've completed the nutrient profile for a salad. Stew beans with seasonings and tomatoes to serve over plain rice. Bake beans in the oven with onions, spices, and a piece of ham for a hearty comfort food. Mash and season beans for using in Mexican meals. Puree beans with stock to make rich soups. Or use your food processor to make flavorful dips and spreads. Beans are delicious and cost-effective.

Using basic equipment   There are a few ways that home-cooks cook their dried beans. Some use a crockpot, others use an instant pot, while still others use an old-style pressure cooker. Today, I'm going to discuss the most basic way to cook dried beans, requiring only a stove burner and a large pot.

I like to keep several different varieties of dried beans in the pantry.
I opt for 1-lb bags of the types I won't be using up as quickly.
I buy varieties that I use frequently in larger quantities.

Tip for bean newbies: If you're new to cooking with dried beans, start with small bags, like 1-pound bags. You'll still save a chunk of change compared to buying meat or even canned beans, but you won't be buying more than you can cook within the best-by dates. Yes, dried beans have a best-by date, not due to spoilage, but because dried beans continue to lose moisture as they age. And the more moisture they lose, the more difficult it is to get them rehydrated (meaning, if they're old enough, dried beans can remain hard little pellets even after long cooking).

I bought these garbanzos in late spring,
 and they have a best-by date of Mar 2021.

So, check the sell-by/best-by date on the package before buying. If that date is somewhere in the past, move on and check the packages of other types of beans or look for beans in a store that appears to have a high turnover of dried beans and grains.

If once you've bought the beans, you realize that you're right around that best-by date or before, go ahead and use the quick-soak method for rehydrating beans. If the beans are more than 6 or so months past the best-by date, use the long-soak method. If your beans are a couple of years past the best-by date, you could try soaking a cup of beans overnight, then cooking to see if they'll be usable. If they don't soften, use them as pie weights or in a lovely bean mosaic.

Merits of the two soaking methods  Quick-soak means that if you forget to soak beans overnight, you can do so the day you will be cooking. Long-soak means you don't need to watch a pot come to a boil, then shut off heat. If your beans are within the best-by date you can really choose either method with no difference in outcome.

Depending on bean type (and how well they fit together), a 1-pound bag of dried beans contains roughly 2 1/2 cups, dried, which will yield about 6 cups of beans, cooked. A serving of cooked beans is about 1/2 cup, which is about 1/4 cup dried. The protein content in that amount of most beans varies between about 7 and 11 grams of protein. For four servings, you'll want to cook 1 cup of dried beans.

Preparing your beans for cooking

Cooking dried beans is a two-step process. First, the beans need rehydrating through a soak, then afterward the beans are cooked.

In a shallow bowl, pick over your beans and remove any clumps of dirt, pebbles, or badly discolored or shriveled beans. I typically find between 1 and 4 beans that fit those categories in 1 cup of dried beans.

Cover your dried beans with a couple of inches of cold water and agitate for a minute. Drain and repeat once more. Drain.

Soaking Beans (choose one method)

• Long-Soak Method  Place rinsed beans in a large container and cover beans with about 3 to 4 inches of cold water. Allow to soak for 8 to 12 hours. Drain and rinse.

• Quick-Soak Method   Place rinsed beans in a large pot. Cover the beans with about 3 inches of fresh water and bring to a boil on HI. Allow to boil rapidly for 2 to 3 minutes, then turn the burner off. Set your timer for 1 hour. After 1 hour, drain and rinse the beans and the pot.

Garbanzos after the quick-soak hour, just before draining

Cooking the Beans

After the soak/drain/rinse period, cover the beans once more in plenty of fresh water, about 3 inches above the level of the beans. Bring to a boil, reduce to simmer* and allow to cook until soft, anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 or 3 hours, depending on bean type, length of soak time, and age of beans. Once cooked to soft, drain and rinse. Beans are ready for use in recipes or freezing in meal-size portions for future cooking.

*for reference, a simmer is just below the boiling point (which is 212 degrees F), a range from 185 to 205 degrees F.

Do not add salt or acidic ingredients until beans are cooked. Salt and ingredients such as tomatoes, vinegar, and molasses can prevent softening of the beans. You can add onions, garlic, and herbs to the cooking water, however, if desired.

It's important to throughly cook beans. According to Iowa State University Extension, even just a few undercooked beans contain enough toxic lectins to make one sick. This is especially true for kidney beans. Beans should be cooked until soft enough to mash easily with a fork.

Cook Times (after Soaking) for Some Common Beans

Garbanzo -- 1 3/4 to 3 hours
Pinto, Navy, Small White, Kidney -- 1 1/2 to 2 hours
Black -- 1 1/2 hours

Great Northern --1 to 2 hours

Hummus

A great bean dish for cooks new to working with dried beans is hummus. It's relatively uncomplicated, bursting with garlicky richness, familiar to many regardless of their income (meaning it doesn't seem like "poor people's food"), and it has broad appeal, making it a welcome addition for gatherings and potlucks.

The traditional beans for hummus are garbanzo beans. For the creamiest hummus, garbanzos should be slightly overcooked. 

If you choose to use canned garbanzo beans, you'll want to rinse the canned beans, then simmer in water for about 20 minutes for that slightly overcooked texture. Overcooking the beans not only softens them to a creamy consistency, but it also helps separate some of the skins from the flesh.

Garbanzos cooked to skins slipping off and slightly overcooked,
 just right for creamy hummus

Once fully cooked to near falling apart, drain the beans in a colander and rinse. Pick out any loose skins and discard. 

Optional: for ultra-smooth hummus, gently rub beans between fingers and remove additional skins. This is all up to you how much skin you want to remove. Removing the skins makes for a smoother hummus and easier digestion for some. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to slip the skins off of the beans. But, if you want to just skip this step, garbanzos with skins intact will make a perfectly fine hummus. Just pick out any loose skins before processing.

To the left, beans with skins removed. To the right, the skins.
More digestible for me and smoother texture to hummus. 

Making Traditional Hummus

you'll need:

a food processor for pureeing the cooked beans and toasted sesame seeds

about 3 cups thoroughly cooked/overcooked garbanzo beans (start with 1 cup dried), OR, 3 cups of canned beans may also be used, with the above suggestion to simmer the canned beans for 20 minutes, then drain  --  set about 1 tablespoon of these completely cooked whole garbanzo beans aside for garnish, if desired

a shy 2/3 cup hulled sesame seeds (about 3 ounces), toasted

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

4 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

2 ice cubes

garnish: reserved cooked garbanzos, olive oil, paprika, minced herbs, sprinkling of kosher salt

before toasting

after toasting

To toast sesame seed:

Spread sesame seeds out on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 8-9 minutes, until golden around the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for 5 minutes. 

Process and pulse toasted sesame seeds in a food processor along with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until creamy. 

Tahini substitute: ground toasted sesame seeds with olive oil

Mince 1 to 2 cloves of garlic. Drop into a cup with 4 tablespoons of lemon juice. Allow to stand for 3-5 minutes. The acid in the lemon takes the edge off of the fresh garlic.

Meanwhile, process the garbanzo beans along with the sesame paste until you have a thick paste, scraping sides of food processor bowl periodically.

Add garlic, lemon juice, salt, and cumin. Process until smooth. Taste and adjust salt, lemon, and/or cumin.

to the right of the mass of hummus is an ice cube

Here's the trick to fluffy hummus -- add 1 ice cube and pulse/process until it has been blended in. Add the 2nd ice cube and do the same. It isn't just about getting water incorporated into the mixture, but getting ice cold water incorporated. My thought is the melting ice chills the starch from the beans and thickens the mixture just slightly, while at the same time, whipping air into the hummus.

And it's done! See how easy it is to make hummus?

Spread the hummus in a shallow dish. Garnish with about 1 tablespoon additional olive oil, the reserved garbanzo beans, some paprika, minced green herbs (such as parsley or even garlic chives), and a tiny sprinkling of kosher salt. 

Serve with pita bread triangles, Italian bread (like the 2-hour, no-knead bread that we made last week), crackers, or raw veggies. Or, use hummus as a spread for Mediterranean vegetarian sandwiches, along with roasted red pepper strips and eggplant, lettuce, and thin slices of tomato. Hummus can be a side dish, or it can be the main protein source for a meal with pita and veggie sticks.

The sesame seed/olive oil paste is a common substitution for tahini. On buying sesame seeds -- best prices are not in those tiny bottles in the spice department of your grocery store, but in bags from bulk e-stores, such as nuts.com ($3.99/lb) or in bulk bins from your grocery store.

You can also make hummus without sesame paste (tahini) and substitute another highly-flavored item, such as a roasted red pepper, peeled and pureed into the mixture, or a half-cup of cubed and roasted eggplant, pureed, or a half-cup of drained, pitted kalamata or black olives, pureed into the beans and seasonings. With any of these substitutions add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to compensate for the fat missing from the tahini.

The cost  of dried garbanzo beans is $1.18 at Walmart for 1 pound, at 9 cents/serving, compared to 58 cents for 15.5 oz can of Great Value garbanzos, at 17 cents/serving. Either one is a pretty good bargain, though, when compared to the price per serving of meat.

I was able to make a little over a pint of hummus for around $1.50 to $1.60. The bulk of that cost was in the sesame seeds (75 cents worth at $3.99/lb). A comparable amount of hummus would cost between $4.50 and $5.00 at the grocery store. Served with carrot chips and slices of homemade Italian bread, this is a nice and inexpensive option for a mezze plate. (Carrot chips are thin slices of carrot cut on the diagonal.) The amount of hummus from this recipe serves 6 to 8, with about 44 grams of protein in total (the equivalent of 7 large eggs).

There are also legumes that don't require a soak period. These include black-eyed peas, split peas, and lentils. I have a great lentil and vegetable soup recipe to share in a coming week. Stay tuned.

Installing Our Pandemic Home Gym

Did you install a home gym this past year, too? Apparently home gyms are a trending topic in the blogosphere. So, I thought I'd share our new home gym.

Here's my Yoga Mat. Oh, does that look like carpet to you, too? Hmmm. . . The brand of my yoga mat is Stainmaster. I highly recommend it -- very versatile, cushioned, and warm in the winter.

And here's my new Personal Trainer. He comes two to three times a week. He's a stickler for me doing everything just right. He really puts me through my paces. If you're in the market for your own personal trainer, I can highly recommend Mr. Tube, Mr. Y. Tube. Great guy and great workouts.

Nothing but the best is my motto. I wanted a state-of-the-art Sound System in our new Home Gym. I like to listen to mi Tunes when I'm working out.

Here's my Weight Bench. You're right, it's a little low. I think I need to adjust the height or something.

And here's my Vertical Climber. Yeah, they carpeted that piece of equipment, too. Go figure.

We also installed an Indoor Track. Here, let me take you around for a lap. It's just a single lane track. We tried making this a double lane track, but I kept having to do Hurdles.

We'll start on one of the curves of the wooden portion of the track. Wood is a popular surface for indoor tracks, much more comfortable to walk or run on than concrete. 

As we move onto the eastern straight, you'll notice the surface changes to a highly desirable synthetic. Many outdoor tracks are paved with synthetic rubber. We've chosen a vinyl tile for our synthetic straight.

And around the other curve we go.

The western straight is extra cushioned with some sort of natural fiber. It has a similar texture to what the manufacturer of my yoga mat used, but I think prettier. Pretty matters when you're working out in your home gym.

And here we are back on the wooden curve.

After a good workout, I head on over to the Juice Bar. The Juicerista seems to have stepped away from the bar just now. I'll pour my own glass of juice. What? I have to wash my glass, too? Did the Dishwashers go on strike again?

And that's my Pandemic Home Gym.

All of this "fancy" equipment and personnel is worthless if you don't have one last thing --  motivation. Now here's something real that I can share that is providing some motivation for me. My favorite aspect of my new-to-me smartphone is the step-counter. I keep my phone in a pocket all day and frequently check my steps for the day. Seeing my steps tracked gives me just the push I need to take another quick walk or do a few flights of stairs. And this isn't just me, The American Journal of Medicine published an article which demonstrated that fitness devices do indeed add a layer of motivation for individuals.

Another truth, I got serious about fitness and health last spring. Getting older tends to increase motivation to take care of one's health. 

I'm just poking fun of the folks who are wealthy enough to install expensive exercise equipment and pay for personnel to help them work out. Actually, I'm very glad for them and for their fortune. They're keeping some people employed and that's a good thing. It is nice to know that exercise can also be free, using what we have right here at home.

(Giving objects capitalized titles make them seem more official, doesn't it?)

My Recent Vacuum Purchase Experience and My Criteria for Selecting a Shark

photo:Target.com

Shark Navigator Swivel Pro Pet Upright Vacuum with Self-Cleaning Brush Roll ZU51

In the spring of 2020, our 2005 Bissell Healthy Home quit. We kept our carpets "clean" with our 2010 Electrolux stick-vac, which is really designed for hard surface cleaning and inadequate for carpets.

Being in the midst of the spring lockdown, I needed to do all of my shopping online. I've been bitten by poor customer service in the past at some local stores when making returns of purchases. So, I limited my online shopping options to sites that also had nearby brick-and-mortar stores where I would feel comfortable should I need to return the vacuum within the store return policy. 

After researching several brands, I was most intrigued by Kirby, Dyson, and Shark.

Kirby's are known for their durability. In comparison reviews, Kirby comes out on top in more categories than any other brand. However, they're on the expensive side and very heavy, at about 35 pounds for the Kirby Sentra Upright. 

Dyson is the current popular choice for vacuums. They're lightweight, about 15 pounds on average, maneuverable, and are known for superior suction. Note, some users report that the suction on some models is too strong for some carpeting types. And, it's on the pricier side (the Dyson Ball Animal 2 retails for about $500 at Bed, Bath & Beyond.) Overall, Dyson gets a lot of favorable reviews.

Shark was barely on my radar when I began researching vacuums. Barely on my radar. I knew Target carried Shark. If I had to buy any product with the idea that I might need to use customer service for returns, Target would be my go-to store for hassle-free returns. Other than that, almost all of my knowledge of the Shark brand came after checking Target's website.

Why I chose this brand and model 

I went with the Shark Navigator Swivel Pro Pet Upright (whew, that won't be a catchy name).The top three selling features (for me) of this model were the self-cleaning brush roll, positive customer reviews of the suction power, and the machine is very lightweight. In addition, the price was less than half that of a comparable Dyson, and a fraction of that of Kirby.

Here's my experience with our Shark

I made the purchase from Target on November 10, 2020 and it arrived on November 11, 2020 -- free next-day delivery. It was $179, on sale. (reg price $229) I've now had the Shark for about 2 months.

The Pros

After 2 solid months of use, there have been
zero hairs trapped on the brush roll.

The brush roll really is self-cleaning. Here's the underside -- no hair. This is fantastic. Between my two daughters and I, we shed a lot of hair. When a vacuum's brush roll gets covered with hair, the vacuum loses suction and the brush doesn't lift the carpet, leading to poor cleaning.

to the left is our 2005 Bissell, to the right is the 2020 Shark

The vacuum is very light. I have a two-story house, so I drag a vacuum up and down stairs twice a week. Our old Bissell was heavy, weighing in around 25 pounds, and awkward to move from one floor to the other. The Shark is remarkably lighter, weighing under 15 pounds. 

Sorry to be gross -- this is what the Shark picks up
each time from 1 bedroom plus 1 office,
with 3 to 4 days between vacuuming.
Really, we're not dirty people.

For such a small and lightweight vacuum, this one has a lot of suction. We went over 5 months without a working, full-sized vacuum, using only the stick-vac on carpets. I vacuumed 3 days per week for the first 2 weeks of having the Shark and was amazed at how good our 25-year old white carpeting looked after those first 2 weeks. The great suction on the Shark pulled the carpet fibers up -- fluffing matted sections -- and pulled out so much dirt. **

One of the selling features of Dyson vacuums are their swivel capabilities. Well, this Shark also has a swivel, making it very maneuverable. The Shark slides further under furniture than my previous vacuum and turns corners with ease.

The switch for changing between hard floors and carpeting is easily accessible, within reach on the left side without needing to bend all the way over. Some full-size vacuums require bending almost to the floor to change from carpet to hard surface.

**To note: bagless vacuums need their filters cleaned/changed regularly to maintain peak suction. The Shark has a sponge-like foam filter that needs cleaning every 3 months. Shark recommends rinsing the foam filter in cold water and gently squeezing, then air-drying for 24 hours before placing back on the vacuum. According to the owner manual, detergents can cause the foam to break down prematurely.

The Cons

The cord comes out of a spot on the lower part of the vacuum, so I constantly run over it. There's a cord hook higher up on the side, but it really doesn't hold the cord. The photo on the top of this page is Target's photo and is misleading for where the cord is attached to the machine. That photo shows the cord in the cord clip. My experience -- I have to hang onto the cord the entire time I'm vacuuming. This is a minor issue and something I'll eventually get used to.

The dust container is pretty small and needs emptying twice if I'm vacuuming the whole house, once if I'm only doing the downstairs. Again, I think this is a small issue.

The cord is short, about 25 feet, meaning I have to unplug and replug more often when vacuuming the entire house.

The attachments were somewhat awkward to use at first. I've since adjusted. The model only came with a basic brush plus a crevice tool, with the option of either a long wand or a short handle. My previous vacuum had a powered brush that really cleaned the carpeted stairs well.

I have no idea how long this vacuum will last for us. With our last vacuum, when I took it in for a repair at 7 years old, the repairman said it was junk and was surprised it had lasted so long. After that one repair, we were able to squeeze 8 more years of service from that machine. Sometimes a person just gets lucky, and sometimes a person gets very unlucky.  What I can say about my own purchasing is that I abhor junk appliances that fall apart long before their time. I do research and select products that should last many years. I also won't over-pay just to have the trendy brand. What I'm saying is this was a thought-out purchase decision. I based my selection on quality of the brand, customer reviews, special features (like the self-cleaning brush roll), price, and access to a local storefront in case of return.

My overall user experience so far -- I was surprised at how clean the Shark got my carpet. It keeps pulling up more and more dust. My old vacuum just wasn't doing a very good job in comparison. After the first week, I told my daughters that they were going to love how clean and new their bedroom carpet would look, and indeed they did!

One final thought. I've discovered that I like vacuuming. After all of these years, this chore is no longer "a chore." A lightweight vacuum that makes older carpet look pretty good has changed my opinion of this one job of housework.

How Shopping In-Person Skews Your Perception of What Your Store Carries (and what you can do to change that)

How grocery stores stock their shelve and bins is part common sense and part marketing. The common sense part is rather obvious. Stores keep all of their frozen foods in one central location while all of their fresh foods in another. Foods are grouped by their storage needs. 

The other part for how stores stock their shelves and bins is marketing. You think you are seeing the complete selection the store has to offer, but marketing tricks us into primarily seeing the products that stores and manufacturers want us to see. The slogan "eye level is buy level" aptly applies here. Big brands negotiate with stores in order to garner that desirable eye-level portion for all of the departments. This section is highly visible to both shoppers and children riding in their parent's cart. It makes sense that products with the largest profit margin (and lowest value for dollar spent) would be placed in this section.

Shoppers typically view products on their own eye level and then down from there. Most of us know that the bottom shelf is typically the "value" section. This is where stores place house brand versions of less-flashy products. Think about dry cereal. Kellogg's Cornflakes are often placed just below eye level because this cereal doesn't have as much appeal to children and it has a rather slim profit margin compared to other cereals in the Kellogg's line. To find a house brand of cornflakes (the value alternative to more expensive dry breakfast cereals), one often looks on the bottom shelf. The bottom shelf is also where oversize bags of flour, sugar, rice, and beans are located -- all items considered "value" by savvy shoppers.

According to Small Business Trends, the top shelf is the least visible shelf to consumers. Grocery stores take one of two tacks on how to use this space. Some stores use the top shelf for the most expensive gourmet items, while other stores use this space for discounted items or house brands of lower stock items (products for which a store carries less stock -- at Walmart, an example would be Great Value canned Asparagus). 

As I switched over to online shopping (for curbside pickup) this past spring, I had a stunning revelation. Online grocery store shopping has not caught up with the tactics of in-store manufacturer product placement. You find a small amount of product placement on sites like Amazon, with "sponsored" products featured near the top of "results" pages. Yet when I search for an item on Walmart's website for curbside pickup, the default listing is "relevance". So, if I search "broccoli" on WM's site, the first item is Great Value frozen broccoli cuts, the least expensive (cost per pound) way for me to buy broccoli. When I search broccoli for curbside at my local Fred Meyer, the first item to show up is again the least expensive way for me to buy broccoli in their store this week. I will add, Fred Meyer has added "featured" items, which don't relate to my product search, that I suspect are just like Amazon's "sponsored" products, products/brands that pay to have their items placed in high view of the consumer when shopping online. I also searched broccoli at my local Safeway (another grocery chain). And again, one of the least expensive forms of broccoli appeared in the first space on the results page.

With this knowledge of a relative lack of product placement for online grocery shopping, we can shop for greatest value with fewer distractions and easier cost comparisons, without the need to adjust our view. 

Using online shopping tools to their best advantage

Checking frozen, fresh, and canned for different forms of same food

The search feature is invaluable. Being able to shop several departments or aisles of a store simultaneously is a game-changer for finding the best value for product categories. When searching "sweet potatoes",  the results page showed items from fresh produce, canned vegetables, and frozen vegetables. Unit pricing for each form is provided so I can quickly assess which I want to add to my cart. In the event that unit pricing isn't uniform (some priced per pound, others per ounce), the calculator on whatever device I'm using makes quick work of calculating best value. I am able to shop several different "aisles" all at the same time. 

Eliminating impulse buys made easy

In addition, I'm not impulse shopping at the checkout, on aisle end caps, or by eye-level placement of products. I realized the other day that I haven't bought Tic Tacs in almost a year! I also haven't bought any tempting bakery goods in this same period. It's hard to say how much I've saved by eliminating impulse shopping, but I do know that I've eliminated buying items that are mostly frivolous or expensive versions of something I could make at home.

Making smarter substitution choices by taking my time

You've probably experienced the following scenario. You plan a meal and the ingredients that you will need for it, only to get to the grocery store and discover they are completely out of the value version of one of the ingredients. In the heat of the moment, with other shoppers crowding around, perhaps on an empty stomach or overstimulated by all of the noise right around you, you have to make a quick decision on how you'll solve this dilemma. Product placement of the premium brand lures you into grabbing that item and popping it into your cart so that you can move on with the rest of your shopping. By filling my cart online, I get an idea beforehand which items are currently out of stock and I can take my time while still at home to rework my meal plan and/or list. I don't know about you, but I tend to make smarter choices when I'm still at home in the peace and quiet of my own private space.

Spending is completely in my control

As I add items to my order, the store's website keeps a running tab for me. I keep an eye on this, keeping me within my spending limit. I can review what I've added to my cart and remove quantity or items, if I feel I'm over spending. I can't tell you how many times I've been literally shocked by the total at the checkout when shopping in-person. I go in to pick up a few items, then I add an extra one or two of this and pick-up that other great deal or two, and before I know it, I've completely filled the cart! With online cart-filling, I watch the totals on the website as I add items to my virtual cart.

For those of us who are now shopping entirely online, we're learning all of this with each shopping experience.

One other tip for ordering online for pickup. If you're comfortable getting pick-up orders from more than one store in a week, try filling two or more virtual carts at different stores, shopping the best deals from each store. It's far easier to do pick-ups than in-person shopping at a couple of stores. You're only out the extra time and gas to grab that extra trunk load. 

And if you're still shopping in-person, here's my tip for you: Put together your shopping list from your store's website, filling a virtual cart as you make your list. (But don't check-out.) You may find forms of foods on your lists that are found in multiple sections of the store that you might overlook otherwise. For example, you can find ground turkey, hamburger patties, or chicken in both the freezer section as well as the fresh meat department, benefitting from best prices and the luck of availability of one option over another. You'll also be able to track your spending as you put items into a virtual cart and make those last-minute substitutions for items that are out of stock, all from the comfort of your quiet home. At the end of your virtual shopping exercise/making your list, screen capture your cart or write it down, then cancel your cart before an order is placed. 

For my family's groceries, utilizing my stores' websites for groceries has yielded big savings and turned up options that I didn't even know were available. I've been very pleasantly surprised to find a huge variety in frozen fruits and vegetables, variety that I never noticed before, because in the store, it was outside of my eye-level view.

Happy shopping and saving, friends!

When Frugality and Green Living Intersect

I went on a little treasure hunt of sorts yesterday. As I was cleaning up the kitchen in the morning, I marveled at all of the single-use items that are made sturdily enough to squeeze out a second, third, fourth or more use. Manufacturers expect these items to be used once then thrown away. I like to make a game of reusing as many packaging items as I can. Beyond quirky fun, it just makes good sense. Less overall is produced, less goes into the landfill -- we save a small amount of money and we do a bit of good toward a cleaner planet.

And so, I was inspired to look around the house for the different single-purpose items that have become multi-use in our household. Come along on my treasure hunt!

While I would never reuse bathroom tissue, I would reuse the tube that is at the center of the roll to corral electric cords.

And while I'd never suggest reusing facial tissues, I do use the box as a plastic bag dispenser. 

Speaking of plastic bags, this is what got me started on my treasure hunt. I wash and reuse those thin plastic grocery bags, hanging them on the laundry rack to dry. I use these bags to cover bowls and dishes, wrap loaves of homemade bread, and then, finally, when I'm truly done with them, as garbage bags in the waste bins around the house.

We get many uses out of each sheet of foil. There was a time when buying a new box of aluminum foil would have meant I couldn't buy a food item that week for my family. I began washing and reusing foil until it simply fell apart. The sheet here has seen it's share of lasagnas, turkeys, and hams. Foil is one of the easier kitchen disposables to actually wash with soap and water.

I wrap heads of cabbage and lettuce from the grocery store in a paper towel inside of a plastic bag to prevent trapped moisture, leading to mold and decay. When I bring a new head of greens into the kitchen fridge for use, I add the barely used paper towel to my stack for cleaning up greasy pans and draining pan-fried foods. I'm grocery shopping once every three weeks to a month right now. So, I buy enough heads of greens to last three to four weeks, storing them wrapped in a paper towel and plastic bag in the garage fridge until they're needed.

Also for draining fried foods, I save paper packaging that flour, sugar, and cornmeal are bagged in. I keep the flattened bags in a cupboard near the stove, handy for tearing off the amount of bag that I need when cooking.

We get multiple uses from birthday candles. I wash and save them for the next special occasion.

Glass bottles from commercial single serving juice make great water and drink bottles filled at home.

Plastic food containers with screw top lids are perfect for dry storage.

I reuse gently used plastic cling wrap for wrapping other foods or covering a bowl.

Parchment paper used for baking dry foods, like cookies or breads, can be reused a few times until it becomes brittle.

Washing freezer bags for reuse is a common practice.

We also reuse bags that foods come packaged in, such as candy, cracker, tortilla, cereal, and powdered sugar bags. With a rubber band, twist tie, or bread clip, we use these food bags just like sandwich bags. And yes, we save and reuse rubber bands, twist ties, and bread bag clips, keeping them in a small dish in the cupboard near my cooking area.

We save and wash plastic flatware that comes with take-out or samples. Then when we take a picnic lunch to the park or beach, we have some non-breakable forks, knives, and spoons. Of course, we bring them back home with us to wash and reuse again and again. Those tiny sample spoons and forks are the perfect size for condiments and pickles when picnicking.

I save good-condition pieces of used gift wrap for future wrapping and craft projects. The red truck and Christmas tree wrap is calling out to my crafty side.

You know those used spiral-bound notebooks from school or courses? Often times, back sides of pages don't get used. I use these notebook leftovers for making lists and plans. I don't throw away a notebook until I have filled every side of every page.

I can afford a new box of aluminum foil, new plastic baggies, and a new personal water bottle. However, I feel it just makes common sense to reuse the single-use containers, packaging, and items that I already have, when it is possible and sanitary to do so. As I said before, it saves us a little bit of change and I know it's the right thing to do.

Scratch Creamy Ranch Dressing Made Easy

Good morning, friends!

This past Friday, we were discussing salads. Christine H. wrote me to explain how she makes her favorite dressing. I wanted to share a portion of her email, today (with her approval, of course).

Christine described her quick and easy method of making ranch dressing from scratch, using basic ingredients.

"My favorite dressing is creamy ranch.  This is a basic base of mayo thinned to appropriate consistency using heavy cream (whole milk causes the mayo to be too thin to coat the veg).  Add in the salad dressing mirepoix:  onion powder, garlic powder, and dill[weed].  Turn it into peppercorn ranch with the addition of black pepper.  Turn it into parmesan ranch with the addition of parmesan.  Add in a few flakes of red pepper for some kick. 

Add all ingredients into the bowl you plan to eat the salad in and do a quick stir -  no extra dishes dirtied.  I don’t measure when I cook, so shake seasonings to an amount that experience tells me I like.  The whole process takes fewer than 30 second, so probably is faster than walking to the fridge to get out a commercial brand of bottled dressing, shaking it up, pour, then back to replace it in the fridge." 

She adds, "You can make ranch dip if you use just enough cream to thin to dipping consistency.  I like raw vegetables just fine, but prefer them sparked up by the flavor of ranch."

Two aspects of Christine's description stood out to me:

1) she uses basic ingredients that many of us may have on hand, making several variations of ranch dressing.

2) her method doesn't dirty any extra bowls, or really spoons either. Her dressing could be mixed with the fork she intends to use to eat with. I can appreciate the simplicity of her cooking-style.

This might be a great use for the leftover whipping cream from the recent holidays. I seem to always have a few tablespoons at the bottom of the carton that I need to use up. I love that someone else has figured out for me that heavy cream will work, whereas milk thins the dressing too much.

Christine follows a method that I use when making family-size salads. I make the dressing in the bottom of the serving bowl before adding any other ingredients. I'd not thought to do this for my personal lunch salads. I'm going to remember this the next time I want a creamy dressing.

Thank you, Christine!

Do you have a favorite salad dressing that you make from scratch?