Shopping Tip: Budgeting Tip #3

This is one of those obvious tips that some of us have a harder time with than others, but it is one that can really make a difference in how much you spend each shopping trip:

Before going grocery shopping, look at the ads for your store(s) of choice and make a list of the sale items you need, plus any other items that really can't wait until they go on sale (which I find is usually very minimal). Then stick with your list!

Sometimes there are items that, while looking at the ads, I think "Well we don't really need that, but it sure looks good and it's on sale." If I want it enough, I'll add it to the list too, but in parentheses. Then the day I go shopping, I'll see those parentheses, do some math, and see how I feel. More often than not, I won't feel the urge to buy that item anymore and feel good instead about crossing one more thing off my list without adding to the allotted $35.

Katrina's Risotto

Katrina's Risotto

4 to 5 c. chicken broth
4 Tb. butter
2 Tb. minced onion (sauteed onion is very good!)
1 1/2 c. brown rice
vegetables as desired
2/3 c. grated Parmesan cheese--or substitute bottled Parmesan and grated Mozzarella

Heat broth until boiling. Add butter.
Add rice and sauteed onion.
Put lid on pot and cook 15 min.
Add cooked vegetables (or add raw veggies earlier to cook with rice)
Add cheese. Stir and serve.

Buying Wheat: Budgeting Tip #2

Because my family eats so much wheat, we buy it in bulk through our church's home storage centers. So far we have only had to buy it when we have lived in the western part of the country where more of these centers are located, but there are centers around the country. (Here is a map that will help you locate the closest one to you.) If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you are still welcome to contact one of these centers. While there are commercial companies from whom you can buy bulk wheat, none that I have found even begin to compare with the prices offered by the Church. If you don't yet use a lot of wheat, you may can the wheat at their cannery locations into #10 cans and use it that way. Since my family goes through about 200 lbs. of wheat per year, we buy it in 25- or 50-lb. bags, depending on what's available. You can find a pricing chart here of all the items the canneries offer. Hard white wheat, our wheat of choice, is currently priced at $5.80 per 25-lb. bag. (As compared to other sites I have found which do conveniently ship it to you, but the prices are more in the $60-$80 range for 50 lbs. of wheat.) If you do the math, purchasing wheat from Church canneries, grinding it yourself, and using it as one staple of your family's diet, is extremely inexpensive. And if you end up overestimating how much you can eat in a given amount of time, wheat has a shelf life of 30+ years!

Complete Proteins

What's the deal about complete proteins?

Complete protein is defined on Wikipedia as: "A source of protein that contains an adequate proportion of all of the essential amino acids for the dietary needs of humans or other animals." There are differing opinions on how necessary it is for every meal every day to include all 8 essential amino acids (see here and here). But what I know from personal experience is that it is very possible to eat complete proteins without eating a lot of meat. The days I eat a peanut butter sandwich for lunch (on whole wheat bread, of course), I feel more completely full than days when I eat other types of sandwiches. The reason is because whole wheat bread + peanut butter = a complete protein. But as peanut butter isn't my favorite type of sandwich, this still isn't enough to keep me eating PB sandwiches every day... :)

Here is a chart and additional tips from BodyforLife2.com that I find helpful:

Combine Grains and Legumes	Combine Grains and Nuts/Seeds	Combine Legumes and Nuts/Seeds
Peanut butter on whole-wheat bread	Whole-wheat bun with sesame seeds	Humus (chickpeas and sesame paste)
Rice and beans	Breadsticks rolled with sesame seeds	Trail mix (peanuts and sunflower seeds)
Bean soup and a roll	Rice cakes with peanut butter
Salad with chickpeas and cornbread
Tofu-vegetable stir-fry over rice or pasta
Vegetarian chili with bread

Also, by adding small amounts of animal protein (meat, eggs, milk, or cheese) to any of the groups, you create a complete protein. Here are some examples:

• Casserole with a small amount of meat
• Salad with beans and a hard cooked egg
• Yogurt with granola
• Bean and cheese burrito
• Oatmeal with milk

A Typical Daily Meal Plan

I suppose for that for some, eating the same thing for breakfast 5-6 days of the week is too boring, and eating a sandwich every day for lunch is too predictable. But my kids love predictability and the variety offered within the parameters of that regularity--ex: choosing what kind of cereal to top their "mush" or what kind of sandwich to eat for lunch. And I love only having to plan one meal a day--dinner.

So here is a typical meal plan for a day:

Breakfast = Mush, milk for beverage

Lunch = Sandwich made of homemade whole wheat bread with choice of toppings (cheese and lunch meat, or peanut butter and honey/jam, or tuna fish, etc), grapes or an apple, juice for beverage.

Dinner = Tortilla Soup and homemade whole wheat breadsticks, milk or water for beverage.

Hot Cracked Wheat (or "Mush")

This recipe can easily be modified to make less or more, depending on the size of your family. As is, this makes at least a double batch for my family, leaving leftovers that reheat easily in the microwave for a quick, no fuss breakfast that fills us up, keeps us healthy, and keeps us satisfied till lunchtime. Even my small kids can tell a difference in how they feel if we go more than a couple days eating something else for breakfast (such as when on vacation) and will actually request "mush."

"Mush" (Hot Cracked Wheat Cereal)


about 10 c. water
2-3 c. cracked wheat (depends on how course it is and how thick you want your mush)
honey to taste

Heat water to boiling.
Remove from heat, slowly stir in cracked wheat.
Stir a few minutes to mash out all lumps until smooth.
Replace lid, allow to sit for about 15 min.
Stir in honey to taste.
Let sit another 5-10 min.
Dish into bowls, top with fruit and/or cereal.

A Typical Grocery Bill

This past week I didn't even reach my $35 limit because there wasn't much on sale that we needed (and I tend to buy more when more is on sale--go figure). So here is what our grocery bill looked like, which is pretty typical:

1 gallon milk - $2.28 (Definitely on the expensive side, but we had completely run out.)
2 lb. cheese - $5.00
16 oz. sour cream - $1.00
2 cans frozen juice concentrate - $2.12
16 oz. package lunch meat - $3.49
small bottle Seasoned Salt (no MSG!--I was so excited to find this) - $1.49
bunch bananas - $0.98
3.49 lb. red grapes - $3.46

Later in the week I picked up a few more items at other stores:

2 gallons milk - $3.78
24 oz. polish sausage - $2.00
syrup - $1.00
tortillas - $1.00
3 small jars jam - $3.00

Bringing my total weekly total to $30.60.

Favorite Breadsticks

You can use any combination of flours and cracked wheat, but this is what I have found most people like the best.

Favorite Breadsticks

1 c. plus 2 Tb. warm water
3 Tb. oil
1 c. cracked wheat
1 c. wheat flour
1 c. white flour
1 Tb. honey
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/4 tsp. yeast

1 square of butter
garlic salt
grated Parmesan cheese

Mix and knead first 8 ingredients, adding more flour as needed until dough is soft and smooth (but not sticky), and pliable.

Let rise about 15 min while oven preheats to 350 degrees.

Punch down dough and roll out into a rectangular shape until flat and thin (about 1/4 inch thick). Melt butter on cookie sheet/pan with sides until completely melted and bubbling--this only takes a few, short minutes.

Cut dough into finger-width strips.

Remove sheet from oven. Taking a few dough strips at a time, quickly roll both sides in melted butter and place neatly in pan until all strips are coated.

Sprinkle with garlic salt and Parmesan cheese. Let rise 10-15 min. (Sometimes I don't have time to let them rise, but they rise quite a bit in the oven, so they turn out fine.)

Cook for 15-20 min, or until browned, at 350 degrees.

Allow to cool 5-10 min. Separate with fork.

Tomato-Corn Salsa (Mild)

This is a Rachel Ray recipe I got from a friend and, though it's not truly Mexican, I love it because every flavor is discernible and distinct, for a truly enjoyable culinary experience.

Tomato-Corn Salsa

Combine the ingredients below and enjoy with tortilla chips or as a garnish with a meal.

1 1/2 large tomatoes (about 3/4 pound), cored and cut into small pieces
1 1/2 c. fresh or thawed and drained frozen corn
Half of a small onion, finely chopped
1/3 c. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tb. red wine vinegar (or less white vinegar--but definitely best with red wine vinegar)
1 Tb. vegetable oil
(Salt and pepper to taste, optional)

Budget Saver Tip #1: Online Budgeting Help

While I am thoroughly and completely frugal by nature, I am not always the best at knowing how much of any particular budget I have used for the month and how much I have left. That's why I was so excited when I discovered Mint.com. It is a free, online program that allows you to budget anything you want for whatever amount you choose, plan for regular payments and those that happen only a couple times a year, see how your expenses compare to those of the average American from month to month, see where you're spending the most money and get ideas of how to reduce expenditures, etc, etc. If you use a bank account, you can use Mint.com and it will automatically show you what you've spent, so there's very little to plug in manually. And when you get close to your budgeted amount--or go over--you'll receive an email about it, so you're always in the know. It's great! Too bad Mint.com won't pay to have me advertise for them... :)

Tortilla Soup

Tortilla Soup
(Serves 6)
This is one of our favorites!

Heaping 1/2 c. dry black beans
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. rice (for brown rice, you'll have to use 2.5 c. broth)
1 (14.5-oz) can diced tomatoes (or--even better--fresh frozen or home canned)
1 c. cubed, cooked chicken or turkey--optional (I don't even add this most of the time)
1 c. frozen whole kernel corn

Toppings: sour cream, shredded cheese, green or red salsa (if desired), tortilla chips

Rinse, sort, boil, rinse, and cook beans.
Cook rice in chicken broth in large pot. Add cooked beans, tomatoes, (chicken), and corn. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 15 min or so and add more water and seasonings as needed. Serve with toppings.

Tip: Because the rice soaks up so much liquid even after it's cooked, this "soup" often ends up so thick we forgo the spoons and just scoop it up with the tortilla chips!

100% Whole Wheat Bread

This bread recipe has been used in my family for a long time. It's the bread I grew up on and I think it's the same recipe my mom made for her family from the time she was about eight years old. I grind my own whole wheat flour, which makes a big difference in taste, texture, and nutrition.

100% Whole Wheat Bread
(Makes 4 loaves but works equally well when amounts are reduced for 1 loaf.)

Mix the following ingredients together thoroughly (I prefer to use a mixer for this process):

8 c. warm water
3 Tb. yeast (yes, I buy that in bulk too--I use a lot of it and it's much cheaper this way)
1/2 c. oil
1/2 c. honey
Heaping Tb. salt

Then add:

About 8 c. whole wheat flour, mix.

Add about 8 more c. flour gradually.

Keep mixing/kneading and adding flour until dough is right consistency--not too wet and sticky or too dry and stiff. (This tends to be different, depending on the climate where you live and can even vary a bit each time you make it. For particularly humid locations, you may even want to skimp a little on the water.)

Cover with dish towel and allow to rise 5-10 min.

Grease 4 bread pans.

Punch down dough and divide up into pans.

Set oven to 350 degrees and allow dough to rise while oven heats up. (If needed, I set the pans on top of the stove so the extra warmth helps them rise faster.)

Cook for 30-35 min (or more), or until browned and inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Tips: Allow to cool 10-15 minutes before slicing.
         Slice warm bread with serrated knife.

Answers to Your Bean Questions/Concerns

Why aren't dry beans used more in the American diet? I think it comes down to 3 main reasons:

1- People don't know how to fix them,
2-They think beans take too long to cook,
3-Fear of flatulence.

My answers to these problems are:

1) Check out the bean recipes I post, as well as all the many other websites with great bean recipes, including Bean Bible. There are also many crock pot bean recipes to make things even easier. So be brave, experiment, and discover what you and your family like!

2) While most beans do take an average of 1.5 hours to cook, they take very little supervision. As long as they don't run out of water, they pretty well cook themselves. (Note: Beans may also be cooked in a crockpot (and cook slower this way), just be sure to follow the tip below.)

3) If your family isn't used to eating beans at all, definitely start out slowly to allow your bodies time to adjust to the high fiber content. In addition, here is an easy way to reduce the gas in your beans: After rinsing and sorting your beans, put them in a pot with plenty of water and heat to boiling. Allow to boil 10 minutes, then drain and rinse. Much of the gas is released in this first part of cooking, so it's easy to get rid of it in this way. Refill the pot with water and dump your softened beans back in to continue cooking.

Bean Facts

Most people in the United States include very few beans in their diets. Yet this is one of the cheapest foods you can buy (dry--not canned), very filling and nutritious, and very versatile. (Probably the reasons so many other cultures eat them on a daily basis!)

As listed on foodreference.com, here are some impressive bean facts, just to start us off:

"Most beans contain only 2-3% fat. Beans are the perfect food for a fat-restricted diet.

"Beans contain no cholesterol, and they can help lower your cholesterol level because they are one of the richest sources of fiber!

"Most beans contain at least 20% protein and are high in carbohydrates which provides longlasting energy.

"In addition, beans provide essential B Vitamins and Iron."

These are all reasons that motivate me to include beans in my family's diet!

Bread

The main staple of our diet is wheat (no gluten allergies here, thank goodness!) and with that comes bread. We buy whole wheat* in 25-50 lb. bags (one or two years' supply at a time) and I grind a small bucket full into flour every week or two. I have a handy, lightweight KitchenMill electric grinder which makes short work of the task. Every other week I make 4 loaves of 100% whole wheat bread--no white flour added--and that is what we eat for lunch. Obviously it's more work than simply buying a loaf at the store (though I do have a big mixer that makes it a lot easier than doing it completely by hand), but have you ever looked at all the ingredients in a store-bought loaf? Do you even know what all those ingredients are? Homemade is definitely healthier! As Michael Pollan reminds us in his fabulous book In Defense of Food, the more ingredients a food product has, the farther away from nature it is and the less healthy for our bodies. My recipe (which is my mom's) has 5 ingredients, not counting the water. And it's so delicious, my family never gets tired of it!

*We used hard red wheat for years but are now firmly converted to hard white wheat. It's lighter in color, which gives baked goods a prettier, more appealing appearance, and it allows for better raising so baked goods aren't as dense or flat. And it has just as much nutrition and fiber as red, so what's not to like?!

$35 a Week on Groceries?!

I often get this incredulous comment from people when they find out how little I spend on groceries per week. I know a lot of people have learned how to be very successful with couponing, which is how they keep their grocery bill down, but that is not what you will find here. That approach wouldn't work for my family. So how, then, is $35 a week possible for a family of four? (And no, we don't starve. In fact, somehow we always have plenty and even like to invite friends over for dinner!)

• My husband is a full-time student and I am a SAHM (who works as an at-home MT several hours a week), so we live well below the poverty line. We therefore have to budget carefully and be frugal in everything we do,
• I shop according to the weekly ads, plan meals around those items, and don't buy much of what isn't on sale,
  
• We have and use food storage regularly,
• I cook almost everything from scratch--which is cheaper and much healthier,
• I use a lot of the cheap/healthy staples, like wheat, beans, pasta, rice, and potatoes.

With this blog I hope to show others how I feed my family for $35 a week, and thereby help you see how you can do the same, if you so choose. Most Americans need to make changes in their diets, some of them drastic changes, and this requires not only the desire to do so, but also a rearranging of priorities. Sit down for a few minutes with pen and paper and evaluate where you are and where you want to be--with your health, your eating habits, and your grocery budget. The changes you make may necessitate a change in time management but will reap rewards in so many areas. Most of my recipes don't take that long to make if you're used to cooking, but they are certainly not instant, or even 5-minute meals (unless we're talking leftovers--which I also believe in). Practice becomes habit and this kind of habit is both healthy and delicious.

We eat yummy, healthy, satisfying food and you can too! Welcome to my kitchen...