Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Mid-March

my favorite food this week, a modified Eggplant Parmesan on Tuesday

Friday

Fry bread, topped with
Hummus (I was out of parsley, so I used frozen chopped dill instead, still quite yummy)
Ratatouille
Cole slaw

Saturday

Leftover hummus on Dollar Tree crackers
Lil Smokies in BBQ sauce
Fruit salad
Cole Slaw
Leftover plum pie

Sunday (power was out for about 5 hours. I can light the gas cook-top with a match for cooking, but the kitchen was getting dark, so simple dinner it was)

Maple-pecan pancakes and syrup

Monday

Sloppy Joe's on homemade buns
Sauteed cabbage, in reserved sausage fat, with a bit of onion powder sprinkled over, and about 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds, cooked till still bright green
Pumpkin souffle

Tuesday

Eggplant Parmesan (more of an eggplant/spaghetti squash/tomato gratin)
Herbed pasta (basil, thyme, olive oil, butter, garlic powder, onion powder and Parmesan cheese on penne)
Frozen peas

Wednesday

Chicken enchiladas
Spanish rice
Canned corn, with chunks of canned tomatoes, in about 1/4 cup of leftover enchilada sauce

Thursday (birthday dinner)

Hamburgers on homemade buns (baked on Monday)
Sweet potato fries (from Dollar Tree)
Frozen green beans
Birthday cake and homemade ice cream (made in December with whipping cream about to expire)


So, am I the only one who didn't make corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day? With a birthday that falls on the holiday, we usually do something other than SPD foods.

I have to tell you about the modified Eggplant Parmesan. First of all, there wasn't any Parmesan in it. I used mixed pizza blend cheese. I also added 1 small spaghetti squash from last summer's garden, seeds scooped out, peeled and sliced, added as a layer in between two layers of eggplant. I don't bread the eggplant, but saute the peeled slices in a bit of sausage fat, then sprinkle each layer with seasoned bread crumbs and a small amount of cheese.. I didn't have any pasta sauce handy, so I used the tail end of a large can of tomatoes, cooked down with the juices and some seasonings added (herbs, garlic powder and onion powder). It was really good! And the house smelled divine while I was cooking.

What was the yummiest thing you made this week?

Just a heads-up, I'll be scaling back on blogging for next week, maybe just checking in once or twice. My daughters have spring break through Monday after Easter, and I want to snatch as much time with them as possible.  We'll use a small bit of that time in our trip to SF, and then hang around the house, go vintaging, hit the beach with a picnic if the weather is nice, and prepare for Easter.

Have a great weekend!

A day for celebration!

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I hope everyone has on their green, today!

In our house, today is my daughter's 21st birthday. I can scarcely believe that it has been that long since they were born. But time does pass, doesn't it?

This is finals week for the girls. One has a final today, and the other has a job interview. Gone are the days when life around them stood still so they could bask in the sunshine of being the center of attention. We shall celebrate when they come home this evening.

I've got a cake, thawing, that I baked last week. And a bowl of frosting all mixed up waiting to spread between the layers and on top. It's a vanilla cake with cherry filling and fudge frosting.

For our family dinner, tonight, we'll have homemade burgers, sweet potato fries (Dollar Tree), green beans and the cake plus homemade ice cream (made in December with whipping cream nearing the expiration date).

I wanted to show you something I made yesterday.


As this is a cause for celebration, I wanted to do something special with the cards and envelopes. Something that they might just hold on to. When I was at Jo Ann's Fabrics in February,

I saw these pretty velum papers in with the scrapbooking supplies. I thought how lovely they'd be as envelopes. And really not at all difficult to do.

I used an expendable envelope as the pattern. I slit the seams, with a table knife, of that envelope, so I could trace around it onto the velum.

I then cut the velum on my trace lines, and folded the 4 flaps into place.

It was a matter of using a glue stick to seal the flaps into an envelope.

To go with each envelope I used sheets of scrapbook paper for the cards.

They turned out sweet and only took about an hour from start to finish for the both.

Velum envelopes make a lovely holder for cards, invitations, or seeds from your garden to gift. And yet, they're not that difficult to do.

Just thought I'd share.

Have a happy St. Patrick's Day!

Needing a few new clothing pieces to take on a trip

Okay, so I don't NEED these new pieces. But I sure wanted something new-to-me to take to San Francisco, and for around town, here.

This past Sunday was our local St. Vincent de Paul's very last 99cent Sunday, where all clothing is priced at 99 cents per piece. So disappointed that this is going away.

Anyway, I did go on Sunday, and found 4 new tops for myself, for yes, you got it, 99 cents each, for a whopping total of $4.34! So, yes, I wanted some new clothes to take on my trip. But I didn't want them bad-enough to pay mall prices, or even clearance mall prices.

This is what I found, that fit well, was flattering and in my taste.

1 gold, 3/4 sleeve, silky blouse.

1 black, long-sleeve, flowing tunic

1 black, sleeveless, Eddie Bauer sweater

1 black, lace-front, Ann Taylor, long-sleeve tee

All of these pieces are been-in-the-bag overnight, and in need of laundering. FYI. The black is indeed, very black (lighting made the black look navy).  The lace-front tee is a little boxy, and I'll be nipping in the sides a bit. Otherwise, a launder-job and my new clothes are good to go!

What do you do with "leftover" flour from kneading and rolling out dough?

A friend asked me what I do with the leftover flour on the counter, after rolling out or kneading dough.

I told her that since I usually clean the counter before working dough on it, that I usually assume the flour is clean enough to go back into the flour bin.

Yesterday, I was making burger buns, and over-estimated how much flour I would need to work the dough on the counter. (My head is in a fog, from the changing of the clocks. I'm having a hard time focusing, period.)

Usually I'm pretty close in my estimation of flour needed. Not so, yesterday. And my dough was on the sticky side, so there were bits of dough in the leftover flour. Not something I wanted to scoop back into the bin.

Well, on the menu last night were sloppy joe's. I usually add about a tablespoon of flour to the beef-veggie filling for SJ's. When I scraped the flour on the counter into a pile, it came to about a tablespoon. So, for yesterday, I was able to just scoop that counter flour into the SJ filling as it cooked. Nothing wasted. I know, 1 tablespoon of flour won't save me a fortune. But I could not have allowed myself to just throw that out, now could I?!

If I add up all of the little bits of money saved, sometimes just fractions of a cent, I know that over a lifetime it will amount to something. It's like picking up pennies. If you pick up 1 penny per day, in a year's time, you have found $3.65. In 5 year's time, you've picked up $18.25. In 20 years, that one penny per day, either found or saved, will amount to $73.00. In the next 20 years, if you add one penny-saving bit of work to your agenda each day, you will have $73 more to spend, save, invest or give. I think that's worth it.


What would you have done? Do you save the counter flour from working dough? How do you usually use that flour?

Easy Rice and Spinach Bake

This is a great, frugal supper recipe, using leftover cooked rice, eggs, cheese, frozen spinach and milk. While nice and easy for supper, this also makes a good brunch dish.

The veggies could be switched up, using broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, or green beans. (If using fresh, raw veggies, steam them briefly in the microwave before adding to the other ingredients.) Fresh spinach can be used, if steamed and drained before adding. For fresh spinach, begin with about 1 pound leaves. Chop then steam.

The cheese could be increased up to 2 cups, if your family likes more cheese. And the topping could be grated cheese, in place of a crumb topping, especially helpful if you're following a gluten-free diet.

The black olives can be left out, or something like water chestnuts, canned mushrooms, or pimento can be substituted. You can also add cooked meat, for an even heartier dish (about 1 cup diced cooked meat, such as ham, sausage, turkey or chicken).

Be creative! Think of this recipe as a guideline for how much of each basic ingredient to use, and how long to bake it.

To make 4 hearty servings or 5 to 6 side-dish servings:

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter
1/2 small onion, diced
2 large eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded Mozzarella, Provolone and/or Cheddar cheese (I use a pizza blend cheese)
2  1/2 cups cooled, cooked rice
1/2 of a 10-oz package of frozen, chopped spinach, thawed, liquid pressed out (about 3/4 to 1 cup packed, once thawed and drained)
1/4 cup sliced black olives
1 teaspoon each freshly chopped parsley, thyme and/or basil leaves
salt (about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon) and dash black pepper

bread crumb topping:

1 teaspoon butter and 1 small slice of bread, ground into crumbs

Melt butter in small skillet and toast the bread crumbs in the melted butter for about 3 minutes, over Medium flame.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and 8-inch by 8-inch square casserole dish.

In a small skillet, over Medium-High, saute diced onions with 2 tablespoons butter, just until soft.

In a large bowl, beat eggs. Stir in milk, cheese, cooked rice. Add spinach, olives and seasonings.

Pour into prepared casserole dish, and top with buttered bread crumbs. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to stand for 5 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.

This rice bake can be made in the morning or evening before, to just before topping with bread crumbs. Keep refrigerated. Then just before baking, top with the crumbs and bake. Allow an extra 5-8 minutes for baking from refrigerator temperature.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for early March

Friday

Rosemary-garlic pork roast
Brown rice
Frozen peas
Leftover blackberry-apple pie

Saturday

Spinach-onion quiche (from the freezer)
Mashed potatoes (from the freezer), topped with sausage-chicken gravy (drippings from roasting chicken and sausage, reserved after cooking and kept in freezer, turned into gravy on Saturday evening)
Frozen peas
Rhubarb-blackberry cobbler (using frozen rhubarb and frozen blackberries from last year's garden)

Sunday

Bean, cheese and avocado burritos, on homemade whole wheat tortillas
Roasted pumpkin
Canned corn with roasted red pepper strips
Homemade gingersnaps (from the freezer, from last month's baking)

Monday

Bean burger patties
Grilled onions
Oven-roasted pumpkin chunks
Brown rice topped with leftover gravy from Saturday's dinner (made extra brown rice to use in Wednesday's casserole)

Tuesday

French dip sandwiches (using this easy technique for turning ground beef into strips of beef), on homemade French rolls, with au jus (onions, sauteed in reserved beef fat, with water, soy sauce, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, dried thyme, splash of herb vinegar, salt, black pepper and crushed celery seeds)
Veggie medley of frozen spinach, onions and canned tomato chunks (seasoned with garlic and herbs)
Banana slices

Wednesday

Easy rice and spinach bake (using leftover rice, eggs, milk, cheese and spinach, assembled in the AM, then baked just before serving)
Ratatouille
Pear Mousse (gelatin salad with pureed frozen pears, cream cheese and lemon jello)
Fresh-baked bread and butter

Thursday

Vegetable-beef soup (using leftover Au Jus and the drippings from the French dip baking sheet for the beef flavor, and barley, cooked garbanzo beans, canned tomatoes, frozen green beans, frozen peas and onions, garlic and herbs)
Kale frittata
Plum-blackberry pie (using frozen plums and blackberries from last summer)


My freezer is beginning to show signs of diminishing stock. I've tried to use something from the freezer's long term storage, everyday. Some days that only means reserved fat from cooking meat. Other days, I'm able to use some of the blackberries, rhubarb, pears, apples or plums that we picked last summer and froze.

I found a good deal on eggplant this past week, at 99 cents for pretty large eggplants. I'm a huge fan of ratatouille. It's long been one of my favorite vegetable combinations. I rarely have eggplant, here. And when I do, I'm torn between eggplant Parmesan and ratatouille. So, I bought 2 eggplant this week and will make both! 99 cents each, is about what I pay at the produce stand, so I believe that is a good price for my area.

You may also notice a few egg main entrees (quiche, frittata and the easy rice-spinach bake). I'm working on the supply of eggs I have stashed in the freezer, with hopes for finding some good egg sales just before Easter.

Again, not a lot of meat-based meals this week. One dinner with pork and one diner with beef. I know some families prefer much more meat than our family eats. But this is working for us, for the time being.

I have noticed something about my meal planning and prep. I tend to cook even more frugally, when I feel like other areas of our budget and income are being depleted quickly. Meals are the one area that I have confidence that I can control the spending. And yep, this is a comparatively "expensive" time for us. With the not so fun things like my husband needing costly dental work, our main car needing new tires all around, and the water heater on it's very last legs (to replace this summer, if it makes it that long), combined with some fun things, like a mini-trip to San Francisco and getting new French doors in our living room this spring, the stress of seeing the money go out so quickly makes me hold really tightly to the purse strings. When our furnace stopped coming on earlier this week, I about panicked, thinking we'd need another expensive repair or replacement on that, too. (Fortunately, it was just the thermostat needing new batteries. Phew!) Everything will be fine, financially. We've set aside money for all of the repairs, replacements, health stuff and the trip. So, nothing will set us back. It's just a feeling I get when I watch the money go out. And with the aging furnace (it's 20 years old), we've already begun a fund for it's replacement and are 2/3 the way there in it's funding. So, we're okay on that front, too, I think.

While all of this is going on, I am reminded of how unimportant all of this really is. A friend's father's health is failing. And all I can offer is prayer and an ear. It's such a painful, difficult time for my friend. Money matters always seem to work themselves out, and are not really that important in the grand scheme.

Just some calculations

As I was making lunches for today, I was thinking about just how much we save by always packing a lunch. I had to get my calculator out for this.

For my daughters, in university. . .

about 9 weeks per quarter
5 days per weeks
8 quarters completed, so far (tomorrow is the last day of classes for this quarter)

that's 360 days of packing lunches, so far.

Here's a sample lunch that my daughters take (it's actually breakfast and lunch, here, but for calculations, the lunch-only portion is listed):

a peanut butter sandwich (heavy on the peanut butter), on homemade, whole wheat bread
leftover spinach-rice casserole
1 apple
1 banana

I estimate that we spend at most, about 75 cents per lunch. Multiplied by 360 days. So far, we've spent $270 on lunches for each daughter while at their university.


If they were to eat in the dining hall, on campus, the cost is $9.25 for an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. The total cost to eat on campus for every day of classes, so far, would have been $3330! That's $3060 more than taking lunch with each of them, or $6120 for the both of them.

And if you look at the lunch that I packed, it's obvious that it was a quick and easy to make lunch, today. So not a lot of work for that $6120 in savings.

Sometimes, I just need to do these calculations to remind myself of just how valuable a little frugality can be.

Shoulder season bedding (or, how else can I use the "leftover" top sheets?)

It's so annoying that fitted sheets wear out twice as fast as the flat sheets. Yet, it can be difficult to even buy replacement fitted sheets, in some sizes. So, I'm left with lots of pillowcases and flat sheets.

I found a great use for the flat, flannel sheet to my Cal. King bed. In early fall, when the nighttime temperatures weren't cold enough for an extra blanket, but a bit chilly, with just the bedding from summer, I used the flat flannel sheet as a very lightweight blanket, on top of the smooth cotton sheet. Kind of the in-between just a sheet and a sheet plus blanket.

With a cotton quilt on top, it was just the right amount of warmth for me, so much so that I've done the same for our spring shoulder season. I really like that I'm getting more use from a sheet that was seeming useless, just sitting in the linen closet.

Remember those spring-flowering bulbs I potted?

I'm almost done planting them all out.

Here are most of the daffodils and tulips. It's a section under the cherry tree, where we had strawberry plants that never did very well. I think it was too shady for them. So I've pulled out the strawberry plants, and put an assortment of yellow and white daffodils, and the mixed Darwin hybrid tulips (Darwin hybrids naturalize in our area). This area of the garden is in view from the kitchen and family room windows.

I've also been working in an area in view of the driveway, breakfast room/nook, and walkway up to the house, planting yellow daffodils and grape hyacinth. Those pesky squirrels have been digging up the grape hyacinth, chewing on them a bit then moving on to the next. Fortunately, they leave the daffodils alone. I'm going to make up some red pepper spray to spray over the grape hyacinth. I'll need to spray near-daily, as it's very, very wet here this March.

About half of the pink, large Dutch hyacinth are in an area along the walk to the pond (where I had a few other pink hyacinth), and the other half I used in pots, (such as these in the photo below), on the deck.

Most of what I planted, I put in view of the house. Some springs, it is so rainy (like this year) that I have very little opportunity to get outside to see the flowers. So having the flowers in view of the house allows us to enjoy the blooms even when we can't be outdoors.

Buying all of these bulbs on clearance worked out very well for me. I was able to save 75% on all of the bulbs, pot them in early winter after Christmas when I had time, then move them outdoors as the weather became manageable for outdoor gardening. I will definitely be doing this again next year!

You know, I often just try something out, even when I don't know if it will work. Some times these experiments work out, and sometimes they don't. But I figure that I'll never know if something will work if I don't try. And now, for the future, I know that I can buy bulbs in late fall, plant in pots in the garage, then move them outside when the temps are not so freezing, to be planted in the ground without a huge rush. In all of my replanting, I only came across about 3 bulbs which rotted in the pots, out of 155 bulbs. That's pretty good, I think. I could have just as easily lost a few bulbs over winter, if directly planted in the ground in fall.


To give cover to the ground after the spring bulbs are done for the season, I've started some annuals from seeds, under grow lights, to take their place later in spring.

Candy Apple Salad

This is either a very healthy dessert, or a very decadent salad. Either way, it's yummy!

Dressing:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1  1/2 tablespoons Cool Whip or sweetened, whipped cream (I keep already whipped cream in mounds in the freezer. For something like this, I just cut however much I need from one of the frozen mounds. See this post.)
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice


In a medium bowl, combine mayonnaise, Cool Whip or whipped cream, and lemon juice.

Salad:

1 large apple, skin on and chopped
1 large banana, sliced
8-10 whole dates, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup of almond slivers or slices, toasted very lightly, on a baking sheet, in 350 degree oven, until just barely golden
1/4 cup butterscotch baking chips


Add all of the above ingredients to the dressing and toss. Serve over lettuce leaves, or as is. Makes 4-5 servings.


Alterations:

If you don't have the Cool Whip or whipped cream, you can also substitute a tablespoon and half of vanilla yogurt, and leave out the lemon juice.

You can make this with 2 large apples, instead of 1 apple and 1 banana.

If using pre-chopped date pieces, use about 1/4 cup to 1/3 cup of date pieces.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers

Friday
Vegetarian chili, topped with cheese, avocado and fried corn tortilla strips
Whole wheat toast

Saturday

Homemade pizza, topped with onions, green pepper, and black olives
Frozen green beans
Candy apple salad

Sunday

Spinach and onion quiche (I made 2 quiches, one for tonight and the other to freeze)
Brown rice
Frozen peas

Monday

Salisbury steak with gravy
Mashed potatoes with kale and onion
Pumpkin souffle

Tuesday

Vegetarian tostados -- fried corn tortillas, topped with refried beans, Spanish rice, corn, pan-roasted canned tomatoes, Cheddar cheese, black olives, green bell pepper, avocado, salsa  (these were so good. the flavor really popped on them, I think it was the cumin. Every bit as good as a restaurant, only not as greasy.)

Wednesday

Baked beans (while I was cooking the beans for last night, I cooked extra and baked them in a casserole dish with canned tomatoes, onions, garlic and chili powder. I knew I had a busy Wednesday afternoon on the schedule, so a little extra work on Tuesday made dinner prep, on Wednesday, super easy)
Baked butternut squash
Mish-mash of leftover starchy stuff -- some mashed potatoes/kale, some brown rice, some corn -- as they say, "enough is as good as a feast"

Thursday

Corn pudding
Spinach-tomato frittata
Blackberry-apple pie

This has been a week where I felt I had to work more to think of things to prepare. This is good. It means I have used up most of the easy to prepare items, and am now working my way through the more basic ingredients. It also means that I should plan a day, soon, to prepare a bunch of things for the freezer.

It is amazing to look back and see that we only had meat for one supper, this week. We did have some cheese on 5 nights of the week, although I tried to increase beans and eggs, and use less of the cheese, when possible.

I do find it difficult to make enough of any one thing so that there are a lot of leftovers. It seems the more I make, the more everyone eats. Unless I deliberately make a double batch, to freeze or save half for another meal. But I remind myself, there's always enough, and that's what counts!

I hope you had a good week, and many delicious meals. What was on your menu this week? Anything different from your usual?

My grocery, household and garden shopping plans for March

In planning out the spending for this month, I am keeping a couple of events in mind. It's a busy, busy month ahead.

Groceries

I have a much larger grocery budget than usual this month, due to surpluses from previous months. But I want to take care that I don't blow it all too soon.

First off, the week leading up to St. Patrick's day should yield sales on cabbage and corned beef. While I don't do a traditional SPD dinner, here, I do always pick up a few heads of cabbage.


Then, we have my daughters's 21st birthday. I'll make a special meal for that dinner. I'm not sure what that will be and whether or not I will buy anything extra for that dinner. We often take our kids out to a restaurant for birthday dinners. But this year, we're doing things a little differently. We'll eat a home-cooked dinner and scratch-baked cake, and push that birthday dinner budget (another budget category, "holidays and celebrations") to their special 21st birthday gift.

As it is their 21st birthday, they will receive as their birthday gift, a trip to San Francisco, for a few days over their spring break. Neither have been to SF before. I took our son, there, about the same age. So, it just seemed right that I should take the two daughters there, to mark this occasion. I studied the airfares over several months, and checked daily, twice daily at times. I booked the flights the afternoon that the prices fell. (Really, I had checked the prices in the morning, and still high, then by mid-afternoon the fares had dropped to half.)

I looked into many possibilities for places to stay, and best dates, price-wise for that stay. It was an amazing difference in lodging cost, just moving our dates to one part of the week, from a few days later, and staying one night less than we'd originally planned.

So, in lieu of a restaurant birthday dinner, we're saving that money, to put towards this trip. And in order to eat on the cheap while in SF, we plan on bringing some food items from home, for putting together a couple of picnic meals, and all of our snacking. Some of those items that we'll bring, we'll be buying as extras for our trip, such as shelf-stable packages of hard salami and some sliced cheese, with a loaf of bread and some crackers, plus nuts and dried fruits. We'll also do a little grocery shopping while there. But the SF grocery stores are notoriously more expensive than suburban supermarkets. We will be paying for all of our groceries in SF with grocery money from this month's grocery budget.

I do feel fortunate that what my daughters want to do in San Francisco is not in the budget-busting category. They want to see a play, go to an art museum, see the Golden Gate bridge, shop in thrift stores, and visit Chinatown.


We also have Easter to plan for, at the end of the month. I have little bit of Easter candy from last year, including a bag of jelly beans, that I'll put into small dishes on the Easter dinner table, as I did last year.  (I used sherbet dishes at each place setting, filled with jelly beans. It was a fun thing to have on the table and enjoyed by everyone -- especially my friend's mother who joined us.) I have a ham in the freezer, and potatoes and frozen green beans. I'd like to buy some yams and asparagus to go with the dinner. Prices for both of these are always lowest at our local produce stand, which opens the Thursday before Easter. We'll likely have a rhubarb pie for dessert. Easter breakfast/brunch will be put together with what we have, here, so no extra expense other than the yams and asparagus.

Other food items that I'll be buying in March -- cabbage, mid-March, St. Patrick's Day ads (depending on the price, but likely 3 to 4 heads, they'll keep in the refrigerator for a couple of months), 50-lbs of all-purpose flour (at the Cash & Carry), fresh fruit like apples and bananas (the ethnic market and Trader Joe's), cocoa powder (Trader Joe's, our best price on cocoa powder in the area), carrots (a 25-lb sack, if that's the best price per pound, at Cash & Carry, 25 lbs would last us through the spring months), butter (supermarket, good sales often just before Easter, looking fro $1.99/lb) and of course, eggs, eggs, eggs and more eggs. I am hoping for another 99 cents/dozen sale at Target or Walgreen's. Last year, Walgreen's did not have eggs in their ad, but when I went into the store, they were in sale. Last Easter week, I bought 22 dozen eggs. Given that I still have about 7 dozen eggs in the freezer, 22 dozen later this month would be enough to last until late summer, I believe. I will freeze most of these eggs that I do find for around $1 a dozen. I am assuming prices will have gone up on eggs, as well, and the deal on eggs might be $1.19/dozen or thereabouts. I have 2 hams in the freezer, already. I may buy 1 more ham during Easter week, if $1.49/lb or less. That would give us 1 ham for Easter, another for around Mother's Day, and the third ham to be baked in early fall. Spring is also a good time to pick up whole chickens, in our area. I like to buy a couple of whole chickens for the freezer, to cook on the grill in summer.

These items are what I plan to buy, given the right price. I'll also pick up other deals, as I find them.

Household

For household shopping, we need coffee filters and shampoo (Dollar Tree), acetaminophen, ibuprofen, vitamin C, laundry detergent or more bar soap for melting for homemade laundry soap, I'll use my senior discount at Fred Meyer, for the OTC's, and hope for detergent to go on sale at Cash & Carry, or else buy the bar soap at Dollar Tree.

Garden

Seeds for annuals, fertilizer for the vegetable beds, a couple of replacement boxwood for the 2 that didn't survive, in the hedge, some pavers to complete a walkway in the yard, lily bulbs and garden soil and/or compost. I have a couple of gift cards to Home Depot that I will use for much of this. The gift cards were bought by me, when Fred Meyer was offering 4 X the fuel rewards on gift cards in December. They do this a couple of times per year. I buy gift cards then, to stores I frequent, to get the maximum of fuel rewards that I can use in a month.

The lily bulbs are cheapest per bulb in the "value pack", as opposed to 5 bulbs per pack. The "value pack" often gives you an assortment, you don't get to choose the variety of bulb. But the cost savings (several dollars, if buying 30 or more bulbs), more than compensates for the lack of color choice, for me. I priced the value pack the other day, for $12.99/15 bulbs (or 86 cents/bulb). In comparison, if I want a specific variety, 5 bulbs are priced at $8.99 (or $1.80/bulb). And if I use my Senior discount, this takes another 10% off the per bulb price, down to 77cents per bulb. I am hoping to use some of these lily blooms (if they coincide with some summer events, here), for part of some floral arrangements. If the timing doesn't work out, at least I'll have some pretty flowers for coming years. (I'm going to start these in pots on the deck, too, like I did for the daffodils, with hopes of getting a jump start on growth.) These lilies will be planted in the same general area as the daffodils, within view from both the house and the deck.


It didn't seem like I had much on my shopping list. LOL But in rereading what I've typed, it might be an expensive month. Fortunately, we are only spending what we have already set aside.

Are there any specific deals you usually find in March, or whenever Easter falls?

Family-style or restaurant-style?

How do you serve meals?

I've been thinking about the pros and cons of each style. I grew up with a mother who always plated at the stove. When I set up our kitchen, I dedicated a strip of counter space to plating up dinner plates every night. It's something that feels ingrained in my approach to meals. But even old habits can be changed, if warranted.

So, I wanted to think through the pros and cons of each style of serving meals.

Family-style

Pros

Ease of serving supper, especially if cooking vessels can go stove to table.

Everyone takes however much they are hungry for. Presumably less waste, combined with opportunity for "seconds" if someone's hunger is greater.

Everything can come to the table hot.

Family-style could serve as incentive for stragglers to get to the table on time.

Cons

If cooking vessels can't go to the table (amount of space on table in relation to size of pot/pan/casserole dish), then foods must be transferred to serving dishes, negating some of the time savings of family-style.

For me, I have a motley collection of hand-me-down pots and pans. They wouldn't be attractive on the table in their current state.

Potential for more scraps of leftovers to deal with.

Some individuals might not take the proper-sized portions (whether too large or too small), or take unbalanced meals (more starches, fewer veggies, or mostly meat and nothing else, or to the other extreme, only salad).

Restaurant-style

Pros

The total amount of food can be divided between all the plates, as the cook deems appropriate.

Leftovers can be minimized, or purposefully reserved for lunches or a future meal (important when trying to cook for two meals, and save enough for the latter meal).

The table can look more visually appealing and less cluttered.

If not everyone eats at the same time, individual plates can be filled, and kept warm in the oven for late-comers, meaning no one gets stuck with just the leftover bits.

Cons

It takes time to serve each individual plate, time that is mostly performed in isolation by the cook. Whereas, time spent serving selves could be considered part of "family time".

Serving all of the plates at the stove requires a "station" for plating. Kitchen counter space could possibly be put to better use, particularly in small kitchens.

The hybrid approach

Serving meals doesn't have to be one style or the other. There are hybrids. For example, my grandmother often set up a buffet, on her kitchen counter. We would file through her narrow, galley kitchen and each fill our own plates. My own mother filled dinner plates with the main entree at the stove, but we passed a salad bowl at the table. And of course, one day, meals could be served restaurant-style, but the next be served family-style. There's no rule that says things must always be done the same way.


Does one serving style reduce food waste, and therefore save money? It could be argued that serving oneself at the table lessens waste, as individuals only take what they feel hungry for. But then again, by my plating each person's supper, I can make just exactly how much I feel we will all eat, then divide it all up fairly. So, maybe neither method is superior in reducing food waste.

Does one method save time over the other? Well, it would appear that serving family-style would save my time, up front. But if extra serving dishes had to be used (other than the cooking vessels), than that saved time in plating meals would be used in cleaning up extra dishes.

How about the happiness factor in mealtimes? It does make a person feel taken care of, to have their plate served to them. But then again, it is such a cheerful image, a family gathered around a table, sharing their stories of their day, as they pass the food items around the table.

I guess the answer is which method fills the most pertinent needs, in general, and at the moment. What pros and con have I overlooked? If you prefer one method over the other, why?

Putting it all together

So, in yesterday's post I told you what I bought in February (towards the bottom of that post, is a condensed list of items I bought)..

I know it can be baffling how I might manage to feed 5 of us, daily, for a month, when it appears that I could not have possibly purchased enough variety of ingredients.

Below, is a recap of how I used those ingredients (and others from the freezer/pantry) in meals for the month. These are the suppers I served over the course of the month. In addition, our breakfasts mostly consist of toast or muffins and milk, smoothies, oatmeal or granola and milk, and for some weekends, waffles or pancakes. Lunches are often peanut butter sandwiches, occasionally leftovers from a supper, or concocted casseroles and soups specifically made for lunch meals. I reserve the whole pieces of fruit, like apples, bananas and oranges primarily for to-go lunches, as they are tidily "packaged", and don't require a container or utensil to eat, as opposed to apple or rhubarb sauce or stewed plums. So, to last a month on 35 bananas and 11 apples (plus a few oranges from previous month) is feasible, if mostly using those fruits for weekday lunches. The nuts and seeds I buy are often used as an extra item in packed lunches, as I rarely buy those snacky foods like potato chips, crackers or pretzels.

Meat served as the "main event" at a supper only occurred 7 times in the month. I used cheese as the main protein source only 2 times (although I used it as a secondary protein source on several nights). I mention this because meat and cheese tend to be my more expensive ingredients, so I use both, modestly.

I used the corn tortillas for 7 suppers, and the tofu for 6 suppers. Pumpkin showed up in 11 of the suppers. Frozen spinach was used in 10 suppers. And canned tomatoes were used in some form or other in 14 suppers.

At the beginning of each month, I do a mental inventory of what I have a lot of, that I'd like to use up. Then as each week rolls around, I brainstorm various possibilities using those ingredients. I like good food, too. So one of the best ways to motivate me to cook every day is to think of something tasty to use the ingredients on hand. Hunger is the meal planning "method" that works for me!

Anyway, I just thought I'd put my shopping list together, with how I used the purchased items, so it would all make more sense to someone not living within a stones-throw of my pantry!

1-turkey and vegetables topped with biscuits

leftover pumpkin pie

2-ham (from freezer)

mashed potatoes (from freezer)

frozen green beans

3-homemade mushroom and black olive pizza (dough from freezer, quick sauce of tomato paste, water and dried seasonings)

vegetable medley of canned tomatoes, onions, frozen green beans and garlic powder

blackberry cobbler

4-veggie enchiladas 

Spanish rice & black beans on the side

5-Fried rice, with spinach, mushrooms, peas, tofu and egg

Pumpkin-ham soup

Chocolate chip cookies

6-Black bean tacos

Tomato Florentine soup

Pumpkin pie

7-Black bean tacos

Oranges

Pumpkin pie

8-Pork roast with garlic and rosemary

Rosemary potatoes

Spinach and onions sauteed with bacon bits

Pumpkin pie

9-Fried rice (with eggs, peas, peanuts, onions, garlic), topped with a garlic and peanut sauce

Tofu and orange salad in a ginger-soy vinaigrette

10-Fried corn tortillas, topped with

refried beans, cheese, avocado, salsa and black olives

fiesta corn (frozen corn sauteed with onion, green pepper and chili powder)

oven-roasted canned tomatoes

11-baked chicken leg quarters

canned tomato, onion, garlic, green pepper and herb sauce

brown rice

pumpkin pie (from freezer)

12-Homemade wonton soup (yes, I made the wontons myself -- and this soup was so wonderful!)

Fruit salad of banana, orange segments and dried cranberries

Pumpkin pie

13-Chicken, rice, spinach, onion enchiladas

Avocado

Chocolate chip cookies

14-Heart-shaped pancakes with red currant syrup

Crustless mini quiches with spinach, onion and sausage

Bacon

Fruit salad

Cream puffs filled with frozen strawberries and whipped cream

15-popcorn and some cocoa

16-Southwest pumpkin, bean, potato soup, topped with avocado, salsa and Cheddar cheese

Pumpkin muffins

Rhubarb-plum sauce

17-Egg salad sandwiches

Roasted tomato soup

Pumpkin pie (from freezer, last pie from the batch)

18-Meatloaf with gravy (I made 2 and froze the other one)

Mashed potatoes (extras so I can make a turkey-rosemary-potato soup in a day or two)

Oven-roasted canned tomatoes

Grilled onions

Pumpkin pie

19-Chunky tomato soup

Focaccia, topped with leftover grilled onions, leftover roasted tomatoes and black olives

Stewed frozen plums

20-Rosemary, turkey and potato soup

Croissants (gifted to us from event my girls and I helped at)

Cucumber, avocado and roasted red pepper salad, topped with slices of boiled egg (cucumber gifted to us, roasted red peppers from pantry)

Assortment of pie to choose from (leftovers from event)

21-Skillet-fried wontons (homemade from freezer)

Ham and egg fried rice

Cucumber salad

Choice of cake or pie

22-Spinach and tofu lasagna

Choice of leftover chocolate cake or pie

23-Vegetarian tostadas -- fried corn tortillas, topped with Spanish rice, frozen corn, refried beans, cheese, olives, lettuce from greenhouse, roasted red peppers, salsa and avocado

Choice of cookies, chocolate covered cherries or mini-cheesecakes (leftovers from volunteer work at a tea over the weekend)

24-Meatloaf and gravy from freezer

Mashed potatoes from freezer

Frozen spinach

Pumpkin souffle

25-Leftover spinach and tofu lasagna

Chocolate cake from freezer

26-vegetarian chili, topped with Cheddar, avocado and fried corn tortilla strips

whole wheat toast

27-olive, onion and green pepper homemade pizza

candy apple salad

frozen green beans

28-spinach, onion and Cheddar quiche

frozen peas

brown rice

29-Salisbury steak with gravy
mashed potatoes with kale
pumpkin souffle

February 2016 grocery shopping journal

In going over the budgets for the next few months, we need to trim again. We have some costly expenses coming up. They're all good things, but expensive, nonetheless. So, I've trimmed the food budget, once again, to $190 for the month. I'm pretty sure we can make it on this amount, especially if I'm careful about treat items. It's just $10 per month, but that, combined with cuts in other areas, and we should be on solid footing for our little extra expenses this spring and summer. More on those to come!

I have a carry-forward surplus of $97.89, from January's very lean grocery shopping. So, for the month of February, I have my $190 plus 97.89, for a total amount of $287.89 available to spend on groceries!

Feb. 2 Senior discount day at Fred Meyer. I offered my daughter a ride to the transit center today, as it would save her one leg of bus rides (about about 75 cents in fares). Since there are actually 2 Fred Meyer stores between home and the transit center, I knew I could do my FM shopping right after dropping her off. I went to the FM which is closest to the transit center (not my usual one). As it turned out, I had to go to both FMs, as the first one was completely out of whole almonds. But I was able to snag deals at both stores, and take advantage of a "limit 4" coupon, at both stores. So, all worked out okay. Here's what I bought:

1st FM -- in the markdown bin, 3 10-ct boxes of instant cocoa ($1.07 each, instant cocoa at Dollar Tree has been packaged in 6-ct boxes for the last year or so, so this was a deal, I'll use it in gifty type things, as I usually make cocoa from cocoa powder when making for the family). Also in the markdown bin, Starbuck's Christmas Blend ground coffee, 10-oz bags, I buy 2 ($2.99). Still expensive for ground coffee, but will be nice for a treat, now and again. I froze one bag, hoping I'll not use it until next November/December, we'll see on that. Also bought 4 8-oz bricks of cream cheese (sale w/coupon, 99 cents, plus my discount, making each one 89 cents). Not included in "food" shopping, I bought an orchid plant as a gift to our host/ess this coming Sunday. They've invited us for Chinese New Year celebrations. I was very surprised at how relatively affordable orchids are now. I used to buy these for my grandmother and mother back in the 70s and 80s, and paid $25 to $30 per plant then. At Fred Meyer, they were $9. And I bought vitamin D3, B1G1 free, plus discount on the first one, so a good deal. And part of my working on spending less on household/health and beauty items this year. On food, at this Fred Meyer, I spent $12.75

2nd FM -- 16-oz whole organic mushrooms, marked down to $2.29, whole almonds ($6.29/lb, about half a pound), raw, hulled sunflower seeds ($1.34/lb, about 2/3 lb), the limit 4 cream cheese coupon, bought 4 for 89 cents each, 1 gallon marked down skim milk ($1.79), 16 oz whipping cream ($1.99), 2 dozen repackaged eggs at $1.07/dozen. At this Fred Meyer I spent $15.65, and they have a gas station onsite, so I was able to fill my tank for $1.68/gallon.

I use whole milk for one daughter. I still have 1  1/2 gallons of whole milk at home for her. With this 1 gallon of skim milk, I can use that for my other two kids, with a bit of whole milk added to each glass to bring it up to 1% or 2% milk fat. I can also use the skim in cooking, and could use it in a pinch for first daughter, in a smoothie, by adding lots of other fats, like peanut butter. The whipping cream we really didn't need right now. I'm not having to add any to milk for my daughter at this point. But I kinda developed a bit of fondness for whipping cream mixed with almond milk, in my tea and coffee. So it is a bit of a splurge! Just living it up! As well, the whipping cream will be nice to top desserts for the family, so I won't be drinking this stuff up by myself!

Feb. 3 stopped by Trader Joe's to pick up bananas for the month. I bought 28 bananas, for 19 cents each, spending a total of $5.32. I also got a sample of steel cut oats, turkey bacon and maple syrup, plus a small cup of coffee, for free.

Feb. 4 Cash & Carry I mentioned I was running low on brown rice, so I bought a 50-lb sack. This is a year's supply for us, $20.19 (about 40 cents/lb), also bought 2 gallons of white vinegar ($2.37 each), a bag of 15 medium avocados for $7.98 (53 cents each), Asian dumpling wraps, they're square like wonton wraps, 98 cents, 5 containers of tofu, 18 to 19 ounces each, varying firmness ($1.15 each), 5 lbs of sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded ($10.45), really great to find sharp Cheddar at this price, a 72-count package of corn tortillas ($2.37), 3 3-lb packages of frozen, chopped spinach ($2.48 each). I spent $59.90

If it looks like the makings of lots of Mexican and Asian food, well you're right! I'm hoping to make wontons (for soup), enchiladas, and tortilla chips for chips and bean dip and nachos. The frozen spinach will be an extra veggie for us. These 3 packages will last a couple of months. The soft tofu will be for smoothies for me, added to frozen blackberries, bananas and orange juice.

Feb. 4 Dollar Tree. The only food items I bought here today was a 12-oz box of crackers, similar to Ritz crackers (it was a bonus pack) and a quart of soy milk. Spent $2

This was not my usual Dollar Tree, but one near Jo Ann Fabrics. This Dollar Tree didn't have almond milk, or much of a food section compared to my usual one. But I was able to find all of the other items I needed, like toothbrushes, toothpicks, q-tips, shampoo, sandwich containers, toilet cleaner "dunks", a squeegee, and a large bottle (50 ounces) of liquid hand dishwashing detergent.

So far, this month, I've spent $95.62.

Feb. 7 Fred Meyer for milk and orange juice. I find 4 gallons of skim milk marked down to $1.75, and buy 4 half-gallons of whole milk for 99 cents, plus 2 half-gallons of orange juice for 99 cents each. Spent $12.94

Total for month so far, $108.56

I'm tracking my spending closely this month, and will do a tally after each spend. The good -- I am well-stocked in milk, now, enough to get through 2 weeks. The bad -- I've spent over $100 in one week.

Feb. 22. I didn't go grocery shopping last week at all. One week left to the month.

Feb. 24. back to gardening means back to Home Depot, now and then. Which also means a stop at the ethnic market for produce doesn't cost anything extra in gas (just down the street a half-block). It's worth looking around some of your stops for errands, to see if there's a small ethnic market in the neighborhood. Anyways, I bought 7 bananas, at 39 cents/lb (it worked out to 15 cents each banana), and 11 apples, a mix of Fuji and Pink Lady apples, at 49 cents/lb. Also they had green bell peppers marked down for 33 cents each. I bought 3. Total spent at Imran's -- $4.35

Total for the month so far, $112.91

Feb. 25 My day for Cash & Carry. I buy 10 lbs lean ground beef (80/20), for $19.90, 5 lbs of frozen peas and 5 lbs of frozen green beans, both $3.74, and a 35 lb box of soybean oil (8 to 9-month supply), for $16.90. Total spent, $44.28.

Total for the month so far,  $157.19

Feb.26 Fred Meyer for milk (on sale 99 cents/half-gallon) and orange juice (same price). I buy 5 milks and 1 orange juice. Also, butter is on sale, $1.99/lb, with in-ad coupon, limit 2. I buy 2. I found small boxes of Valentine's Sweatheart candies (the kind with messages on each heart), for 9 cents each. I bought 5. I'll double bag these and save for next year's Valentine's day, using them in decorations or to top cupcakes. Store-brand canned corn was on sale for 60 cents/can. I had a coupon soon to expire for 40 cents off 3 cans. So I bought 3 cans, spending $1.40 for 3, or 46-7 cents each. not a stellar price, but I ran out of corn this week, and Cash & Carry was out of the sale bags of frozen corn yesterday, so having these 3 cans will mean that I can make corn pudding for supper some night soon (it's one of those wonderful comfort foods for my family). I also got my Take5 candy bar for free, with my download coupon. So, in addition to the coupons I used, I also had a $9.31 reward from Fred Meyer, from fall quarter. We practically never qualify for a reward, with exception to fall quarter (rewards are tallied quarterly at FM), when I buy a few gifts there, and stock up on giftcards, at the 4X fuel reward in December. After applying my $9.31 reward to today's shopping, I spent $2.46.

Total for the month so far, $159.65

I am $15 short of a 50 cent per gallon fuel reward for next month. I may go back to Fred Meyer over the weekend, and spend just a little bit more, if I'm in that area, maybe buy more butter and milk, or do next week's shopping on Monday (new ads come out on Sunday at FM, here).

Feb. 28. My Girl Scout cookies came in, today. We bought 1 box of Thin Mints. Spent $4.

Feb. 29. I didn't get out to Fred Meyer over the weekend (busy at home). So, my spending for the month stands at $163.65.

My available amount to spend was $287.89 for this month. So, I now have a surplus of $124.24 to add to March's budget of $190. Or a total of $314.24 for the next month!

What I bought in February:

Produce
1 lb fresh mushrooms
35 bananas
15 avocados
9 lbs of frozen chopped spinach
3 half-gallons orange juice
11 apples (Fuji and Pink Lady)
3 green bell peppers
5 lbs frozen peas
5 lbs frozen green beans
3 cans corn

Dairy
8 8-oz packages cream cheese
10 gallons skim milk
4 half-gallons whole milk
16 oz whipping cream
2 dozen eggs
5 lbs grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1 qt soy milk
2 lbs butter

Refrigerator
1 package Asian dumpling wraps
5 containers tofu
72 corn tortillas

Meat
10 lbs lean ground beef (80/20)

Pantry
3 boxes of instant cocoa packets (total of 30 packets)
20-oz Starbuck's Christmas blend ground coffee
1/2 lb whole, raw almonds
2/3 lb raw, hulled sunflower seeds
50 lbs long grain brown rice
2 gallons white vinegar
1 box crackers
35-lb box of soybean oil
5 small boxes Valentine's Sweetheart candies
1 Take5 candy bar (freebie)
1 box of Girls Scout cookies


What I have a lot of, still -- frozen fruit (some apples, lots of blackberries, rhubarb, plums and strawberries), butter and eggs, cream cheese, baking ingredients, peanut butter, meat, frozen green veggies, frozen pumpkin, canned tomatoes and tomato paste, jams, jellies, pickles and salsa. What I am low on -- all-purpose flour and milk.

This would be a good month to bake a cheesecake or 7, with all of the cream cheese I now have. And I'll start baking more pies and quiches, to use up the frozen eggs and frozen fruit.

My larger amount to spend this next month sounds like a whole lot to me. But I'm also keenly aware of how quickly that money can go, with just a few big stock-up items, like butter or meat. I'll try not to be too spendy this next month.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the end of February (many freebies, plus using supplies from the freezer)

Friday (cost about $1.50)
Chunky tomato soup
Focaccia, topped with leftover grilled onions, leftover roasted tomatoes and black olives
Stewed frozen plums

Saturday (cost about $1.80)
Rosemary, turkey and potato soup
Croissants (gifted to us from event my girls and I helped at)
Cucumber, avocado and roasted red pepper salad, topped with slices of boiled egg (cucumber gifted to us, roasted red peppers from pantry)
Assortment of pie to choose from (leftovers from event)

Sunday (cost about $1.65)
Skillet-fried wontons (homemade from freezer)
Ham and egg fried rice
Cucumber salad
Choice of cake or pie

Monday (cost about $2.50)
Spinach and tofu lasagna
Choice of leftover chocolate cake or pie

Tuesday (cost about $1.70)
Vegetarian tostadas -- fried corn tortillas, topped with Spanish rice, frozen corn, refried beans, cheese, olives, lettuce from greenhouse, roasted red peppers, salsa and avocado
Choice of cookies, chocolate covered cherries or mini-cheesecakes (leftovers from volunteer work at a tea over the weekend)

Wednesday (cost about $3.60)
Meatloaf and gravy from freezer
Mashed potatoes from freezer
Frozen spinach
Pumpkin souffle

Thursday (cost about $2.50)
Leftover spinach and tofu lasagna
Chocolate cake from freezer

So you already know that it's been a hard week around here. Very tiring. For the first several nights of the week, I was cooking two completely different menus each day, one for the family and one for my daughter. Doing this from scratch is a lot of work. I did my best to minimize that work, whenever possible.

Things like baking my largest casserole dish of lasagna and making extra layers of noodles and filling, instead of my regular casserole and 3 layers which feeds the five of us for one dinner, and leaves leftovers for one or two people for lunch. This pan of lasagna fed all of us for two complete dinners.

And asking for help when I just couldn't do it all. I was so exhausted on Wednesday afternoon, after a very long and trying meeting with a consultant in the middle of the day, the phone constantly ringing in the afternoon, and going out to pick up one daughter in the late afternoon. The dishwasher needed emptying, which wouldn't be a big task at all, ordinarily. But I just could face doing that and putting dinner together, so I (rather tiredly, unfortunately, I came across as a bit edgy when asking) asked a daughter to do that for me, while I got dinner ready.

I also made use of whatever I could find in the freezer, meatloaf, wontons, cake and soup. And some nights there wasn't much variety in the meal, like the night we had the tostadas, just the tostadas on the plate, or the lasagna, same deal. usually I have a side dish to go with the main dish. That just wasn't happening this week. Even if it had been frozen veggies heated in the microwave, I still would have had to pour them into a casserole and heat, then serve them all. That doesn't sound like a lot of work. But the serving and portioning out of dinner does take time and effort, when doing so times 5. Even once everything is made, it still takes 10 minutes to dish it all up. There are many days when I wish I could just be the mom who drives through the fast food place, brings home a bag of burgers and fries and dumps it all out onto the center of the kitchen table -- fend for yourself. But knowing me, I would pull out plates and cutlery, make a couple of fruit or veggie side dishes, and probably make a homemade dessert to go with it all! I know, crazy, huh?

My favorite meal this week? I think it was the vegetarian lasagna. I don't care for really heavy, greasy, meat-filled and cheesey lasagnas. They never sit well in my stomach. I prefer a lighter version, no meat, with a full 10-oz container of frozen lasagna, a 19-oz container of tofu, lots of sauce, and about 3 or 4 cups of shredded cheese, some mixed in with the tofu, some as is, topping the whole casserole. I sometimes mix grated carrots in with the leafy greens -- also very good, and drops in another serving of vegetables. this is the lasagna that my family is accustomed to. I've been lactose intolerant since my son's very earliest days, and have since then used tofu for part of the filling. And while I like the ease of no-cook lasagna noodles, I prefer the texture of the noodles that you have to boil before assembling. All the more reason to make a double batch each time I make a pan of lasagna.

I find it helpful for me to "cost out" each meal for the week, from time to time. It serves as a great reminder that heavy-on-the-meat dinners tend to be quite a bit more expensive than vegetarian counterparts. And using even just a fe convenience items ups the cost quite a bit. As in the lasagna, the noodle were boxed, the tofu is a ready-made product, and the spinach was commercially chopped and frozen. And it helps that I volunteer once a month in a kitchen for a charity tea and am often given some of the leftovers.

What was the yummiest thing you ate in all of this week? Was it something you made, or something someone else made for you?

Which would you choose?

Shopping for seed-starting, potting soil, I came across a super well-known, name-brand, in an 8 qt. bag, for about a dollar more than the lesser-known brand of soil, in a 12-qt. bag. The 8-qt. bag came with a built-in zipper on the top of the bag. The 12-qt. didn't.

For a savings of $1, and 4 extra qts. of soil, I think I'll use a clip from my desk, and seal the bag myself.

If I was an extremely clumsy person and knocked things over a lot, then the built-in zipper would come in handy. Or, if I knew I wouldn't use all of the soil this season, again the built-in zipper might be the better option. But then again, I could always use a 5 cent strip of duct tape to seal the bag shut.

Sometimes, I think we pay way too much for the name and extra conveniences.

By the way, Home Depot didn't have these bags on the shelf with the "big-name" brand, but off to the side, in a large cardboard box. It pays to look around for those seasonal items which aren't part of the regular stock.

From my portable greenhouse . . .

This is what I was able to glean from my flats of lettuce seedlings, in the portable greenhouse on the deck. It's the thinnings -- about 3 cups of loosely-packed, baby lettuce. I wanted to give each little seedling the best chance for growing healthy and big, so thinned to 1 seedling per planting cell. I'll be able to do this with another half-flat next week, too!

I added this little bit of lettuce to our tostadas, last night. I had been wanting some fresh lettuce, and here, now I have it -- only about 2 months earlier than if I'd started seeds directly in my garden!

Thank you for all of your kind words, yesterday! My daughter is feeling better today. So far, no one else has symptoms. I am praying it stays that way!

I'll get back on track, here, in the next day or so! Have a great day!

Just like that, all of my day's plans changed

As I mentioned on facebook yesterday, one of my daughters came down with a stomach virus late Sunday afternoon. When you hear a family member gagging while running to the bathroom, you just know this is going to be bad. But such is this life.

Norovirus has been in the news, here in Seattle, as well as around other parts of the country this winter. University of Michigan has had a nasty outbreak of the virus in just the last couple of days. Norovirus is a highly contagious stomach virus, once rumored to be limited to cruise ships and other densely populated spots. But now it's popping up in office buildings, senior centers, schools, restaurants and shopping malls. Winter is peak season for its spread. So, I've been treating my daughter's illness as if it is norovirus, just to be on the safe side.

Prevention of spread of norovirus is essential

The key to preventing spread of the virus is isolating the patient, as soon as the first symptom is present, from the rest of the community (family, in our case), and keep them isolated for 1 or 2 days post symptoms, as the virus can still be spread, even when the patient begins to seem better, vigilance with personal hygiene (handwash, handwash, handwash -- more effective than hand sanitizer), and disinfecting all surfaces (textiles as well as hard surfaces) the patient could have spread germs through either direct contact or airborne particles, both while symptomatic and while seemingly well. The norovirus has a 1 to 2-day incubation period, meaning patients can transit the disease before the symptoms are obvious.

So, like I said, just like that, all of my day's plans changed.

My daughter shares a room with her sister. The first step was to set up a place where she could sleep and study, away from the patient. She moved into the family room for a couple of days. I've been designated as caretaker of the sick one, to prevent as few people as possible from falling ill.

Minimizing illness with the sick one

The main risk to norovirus is dehydration. One site I read said to wait 20 to 30 minutes after vomiting has ceased before introducing liquids (but of course, if vomiting persists beyond a few hours, or if the patient has other health complications, it's wise to seek a doctor's opinion early on). And then, only clear, non-acidic liquids. Orange juice is out (too acidic), apple juice is a maybe, if watered down in a 50/50 mix. Electrolyte solutions are good, especially ones like Pedialtyte. Watered down chicken broth is also recommended. And for some individuals, flat, non-caffeinated soda pop (like lemon-lime or ginger ale), in small amounts seems to help. You can speed up the rate at which soda pop loses its carbonation by pouring one glass into another, back and forth. I keep a 2-liter of lemon-lime soda in the back of the pantry for just this type of occasion.

So, we got my daughter through the night, on sips of flat lemon-lime soda. By morning, she was looking a bit better.

After seeing to her comfort in the morning, I set out to disinfect areas of the house where she had been, and get an early start on laundry. On facebook, I mentioned the CDC's recommendations for disinfecting, using chlorine bleach mixed with water, from about 1 teaspoon to 1  1/2 tablespoons of household bleach mixed with 1 cup of water. As the bleach doesn't have to be exact, I eyeballed, using the cap to the bleach container as a measuring spoon/cup, and poured into a glass measuring cup, then adding water. I dipped a rag into this solution and went around the house wiping off surfaces (CDC says to allow to air dry for 10 minutes). I did this every time my daughter got up. Also, the CDC says that alcohol-based hand sanitizers and 3% hydrogen peroxide are not as effective as chlorine bleach, against the norovirus.

Some things I may have overlooked, if it had not been for reading some info online:

• wear gloves when cleaning, emptying the trash containers, picking up tissues and dishes, and while gathering clothing and linens for laundry
• after taking off gloves, wash your hands again
• wash textiles as well as hard surfaces, this includes bath rugs, mats, towels, bedding and clothing in hot water and tumble dry
• run an empty cycle on the washing machine, using bleach in hot water to disinfect your washer. Norovirus can live inside your washing machine for a few days, after washing contaminated textiles.
• the virus remains contagious even after symptoms have subsided, for a few days (as few as 3 to up to 2 weeks, according to the health department -- hygiene of the patient is so important, to prevent spread)
• people who have norovirus should not prepare food for other people for at least 2 days after recovery
• if you have a dishwashing machine, use it for all dishes, cutlery and glassware. If there's a sanitize or hi-temp function on your dishwasher, use it. Hand-washed dishes are more likely to harbor the virus, as most of us can't tolerate the high temperature necessary to kill it, while hand-washing our dishes.
• replace all toothbrushes for family members who share the same bathroom as the patient (another good reason for buying super cheap toothbrushes from Dollar Tree -- I feel no regret having to use up an entire 6-count package of toothbrushes, due to this illness in the family)
• although alcohol-based sanitizers are not as effective as bleach, it's better than nothing. So I kept a baggie of 91% isopropyl alcohol saturated paper towels on the bathroom counter, for my daughter to clean up any mess after herself, wipe off door knobs, flush handles and faucet handles, then dispose of the used towel, each time she used the bathroom. This meant I didn't have to get out the bleach after every single time she got up.

The post-vomiting diet (sorry, there's no nicer way to put that)

When it appeared that all of the really nasty symptoms were over . . .

I'm sure you've all heard clear liquids are best for someone with a stomach virus. But this doesn't have to be limited to beverages. It can include gelatin, popsicles and bowls of broth, for a change of pace. And towards the end of that first day, I do well adding rice milk to the round-up (but not soy, almond or dairy milk). For my daughter, I got a batch of blackberry gelatin started in the morning (using frozen blackberries, simmered with water for a couple of minutes, strained to use only the juice, then sweetened, and set with plain gelatin), and I set a cup of brown rice to soak, to make rice milk later in the day. I also found a quart of homemade chicken stock in the freezer, to season mildly, and serve for her lunch. I'll see how she's feeling by late afternoon. If she feels up to it, I'll make some rice milk pudding for her dinner, as pudding is one of her favorite foods, and made with rice milk it should be easy to digest.

If it seems that she handled those foods okay yesterday, then today I'll add to this menu, with a couple of items from the BRAT diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast). I'll use the rice pulp from making homemade rice milk, to make a thin rice porridge for breakfast. And I'll make some applesauce from frozen apple chunks to go with chicken broth for lunch.

It's a lot of work, taking care of one family member who is sick. But one thing I do know, if others in the family get the same virus, it will be a whole lot more work for me. I'd rather put in my work, upfront, than drag this out for weeks.

Time for forsythia cuttings

The forsythia is just right for taking cuttings in our yard, right now.

I wait to see a single opening blossom. Then I begin taking cuttings to bring indoors. Obviously, I take those first cuttings from branches which overhang the paths and make themselves a nuisance to walk by. So, basically killing 2 birds, here. Neatening up the walkways, and bringing blooms inside to enjoy.

Can't pass up a free bouquet of flowers!