Leftover Win!

We bought 3 Barred Rock and 4 Rhode Island Reds to replace the 5 chickens we have. Egg production is definitely slowing down and it's time to bring in new layers. They are the cutest balls of fluff!

Yesterday for dinner I realized that I still had some of the freezer items I had pulled out earlier in the week and I definitely needed to use them. I googled soup recipes using spaghetti squash and tomato sauce  and found a great recipe that I modified on what was in my fridge. It called for a lot of Italian sausage, (I had none) and zucchini, (I used Hubbard squash that I had also pulled out). I threw in some leftover breakfast sausages and a little bit of ham and instead of using diced tomatoes I used my unfrozen tomato sauce. You can find the original recipe on kudos Kitchen by Renee. I love that we still have lots of onions and garlic to use up and they and the spices totally made this recipe delicious. 

It was certainly a win-win recipe that used up items from my freezer and turned out to be very tasty! 

 

Prices are Definitely Going Up!

 

                                                                                

                                            

Because I bulk shop, I don't have to buy flour very often. But I noticed the other day that I was down to 2 plastic buckets of flour. I have been baking all our breads, rolls and buns and that has caused our supply to go down rather rapidly. So this morning on my way to buy some chicks, I stopped off and bought a 50 pound bag of flour. I had checked in my price book before I left and I knew that Cash & Carry typically had the best price so I went there. I discovered that the same bag of flour that I bought back in May of 2020 has gone up by $4.80! I knew prices were going up but this is crazy! I also picked up a #10 can of ketchup which has gone up by $1.00. So I will be using much more wheat flour in my recipes in order to stretch my all-purpose flour and I will be processing ketchup this fall from the tomatoes we will grow. This was definitely a wake up call for me at how much food prices are increasing. We all need to do all we can to grow and preserve our foods and keep an eye on what's in our food storage!

A New Oatmeal Recipe

Oatmeal Ready to Cook

I wish I could remember where I found this recipe but sometimes I forget to write down my source. But I love this for quick and delicious oatmeal in the morning.

The Oatmeal Mix

8 cups rolled oats

1/4 cup dry powdered milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 teaspoon salt

Stir spices and salt together. Mix all ingredients in large bowl. Break up brown sugar chunks. Put in covered container. Replace after 3 weeks.

Oatmeal for 1

Stir 1/2 cup oatmeal mixture into 3/4 cup of water in bowl. Microwave 1 1/2-2 minutes. Let cool slightly. Add toppings.

 

Use it Up!

What a cute young man! So grateful for each of our grandchildren!

I am enjoying the challenge of using up what's in the pantry or the fridge before it goes bad. I often think of the early pioneers and settlers who used up what they had even if it meant eating the same thing day after day until it was gone. They didn't have the luxury of effective refrigeration to keep their food good for long periods of time so I'm sure they ate very simple and repetitive meals. As a society we are too easily influenced by the media which tells us that every dinner should be amazing and fancy. My dinners are simple and delicious but I use what I have in the fridge or the pantry and I will not run to the store if I'm missing an ingredient. That's why my food budget is so low, $200.00 a month. Keep it simple and use what you have. That's my motto!

 

Sharing the Goodness!

My friend Michele and I did a short road trip to Chattaroy, where a dear friend and former member of our ward was holding a special Valentine's Goodie Sale! 

Now, I am really quite frugal and I'm sure many would say that I could have made these myself to which I would answer, 'no way'. "No way" could I have made these delicious treats like my friend Amanda can. She is a gifted baker and cook and it was a delight to support her business, Chill Cakes! 

Two of the treats went to Doug. I had texted him with his choices and he chose a caramel cheesecake and a peanut butter chocolate cheesecake. I kept the chocolate mousse for myself and the rest we gave to friends. 

Sometimes you admit your limitations and enjoy the talents and gifts of others! 

 

A New & Delicious Recipe!

 

I am always on the lookout for an easy and delicious dinner idea and I found one on the YouTube channel Moss TV. It's called Chicken Tot Pie and we loved it!

Chicken Tot Pie

1 can cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup sour cream

2/3 cup milk

16 oz. frozen vegetable

1 tsp thyme & 1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

4 cups chicken breast, cooked and chopped

1 cup cheddar cheese

enough tater tots to cover

Mix everything but the tots together in a big bowl. Put into a baking dish and top with tots, lined up in neat little rows. Bake in a 375 degree oven. 

This was also inexpensive because I used our harvested frozen veggies, our canned chicken and the other items were in our food storage. The only thing I bought were the tots. This was cheap and delicious and a keeper!

He's A Great Shopper!

 

This is a photo of 6 bags of soft flour tortillas. They come 10 tortillas to a bag. At Albertsons they will run you about $2.79 per bag. Doug noticed that they were on sale for $1.00 a bag. That's a great price and we would have been very happy with that price! However, when he got to the store he found that there was an additional discount which took another $3.00 off the total price! So 6 bags of tortillas that should have cost $16.74 regularly. And that would have cost $6.00 with the sale price. Actually ended up costing $3.00 with the additional discount! Fifty cents a bag for 10 tortillas is an awesome price!!!

 

We obviously don't live in the real world!

First off I thought I would share a picture of the triples!  So cute!

I just got our mail and we sure get our share of junk! Today's junk included an advertisement encouraging us to take out a loan against the value of  our home. They tell us that we can do so many fun things, trips, improvements to the house, maybe a new car! And they will give us a loan up to the full value of our home! What! We worked so hard to pay off our home and we are enjoying the benefits of no longer paying a mortgage! There really is no way I want to take out a loan and ruin the peace of mind that we currently enjoy! But they make it sound so easy and so fun! Maybe that's why so many people are in debt and struggling! No thank you! 

Thank you Dave Ramsey for preaching the benefits of being debt free! 

 

What is so magical and heartwarming about soups?

This is a wonderful Chicken Pot Pie soup that I made for dinner tonight. I continue to pull out fruits and veggies from my freezer to use throughout the week so that I have more room for next year's harvest. I had some thawed peas and celery that were starting to look a little sad and I remembered this recipe that Becky gave me last summer! I tweaked it to fit what I had in the house including substituting canned turkey for chicken and regular milk for heavy cream. But I've been tasting it as it simmers and it's delicious. I'm also making some quick dinner rolls from Jamiecooksitup.net to go along with it. It's a perfect meal for our gray and gloomy day!

Chicken Pot Pie Soup

Heat 1 T oil in soup pot and add 1 chopped onion, cook 2-3 minutes. Add 1 tsp garlic salt (I minced some cloves), 2 tsp thyme, 1 T parsley and 2 Yukon gold potatoes, chopped in 1/4 in. pieces. (I used regular potatoes, that's all I had at home). Cook 30 seconds and then whisk in 1 T flour and cook 30 seconds more, stirring continuously. Add 2 cups half & half, 2 cups chicken broth and 1 cup heavy cream. (I used regular milk) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add 2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper, 3 cups cooked shredded chicken and peas and carrots. (I added peas, celery and a little bit of leftover corn) Simmer 30 minutes to 2 hours.

 

Comfort Foods

Sometimes you need a little comfort food to get you through a rough patch. Yesterday, Doug had some dental work done and he was advised to eat soft foods only! Meatloaf to the rescue. What is it about a good meatloaf that warms you up inside and out? It was just a basic meatloaf, nothing fancy about it. And yet it tasted so good and reminded me of when my mom would make her comfort foods. Some meals are a feast for your belly and your heart!

 

The Challenge is Over!

The January Pantry Challenge comes to an end for us and I am pretty happy about how we did! We did buy greens for salads and of course bananas. But I feel like we really utilized our freezers and pantry to plan and prepare meals all month. 

This past Saturday I inventoried our meat freezer and created a spreadsheet that will allow me to mark off what's in there and what we've pulled out. I also cleaned out our upright freezer and ended up dehydrating the cilantro, basil and thyme that I froze right out of our garden. We are well stocked up on herbs!

I really enjoyed seeing what I could create each day for our meals and feel that we can use up what's on the shelves before our next harvest! And isn't that how it's supposed to work?