Well I am terribly bummed. I have been watching what I ate for the last 8 weeks, in the first 4, I lost almost 7lbs total. But, in the second 4 weeks, I gained it all back plus 5. Now I didn't change my eating, I still ate between 1200 and 1500 calories a day, with increased veggies and decreased carbs...I was warned this may happen because the Lyrica I am on causes weight gain but it still has me VERY upset.
So, since the only time I have EVER had success losing weight was when I cut out red meat almost completely. I think I had ground beef (a bite or two) once in the month. I ate chicken a few times during the month, but went almost completely vegetarian otherwise.
I could not possibly give up all meat, but I think to help with getting this weight off and getting it to STAY off, I think I am going to have to go almost completely vegetarian.
I think I will save red meat for a monthly treat. Not only will this have health benefits but really good financial benefits as well.
I routinely can get Bone In Chicken Breasts for 99cents per pound, Ground Beef cost a minimum of $1.79 since we do not buy hamburger.
Today I am testing out a new recipe, I am making Pinto beans from dry. I have NEVER had success with this, but I am determined. Beans mixed with Rice make a complete protein, meaning no meat needed...won't work for Chris, so I will cook up a couple chicken breasts as well, and I will make a Huge Green Salad to go with it. A head of lettuce is two meals here (while bagged is easier, its not usually cheaper) and cost less than $1.19 Tomatoes and mushrooms are both around 1.99 lb too and they are usually good for a few meals as well.
Generally Veggies can be stretched quite a ways and can be bought or grown very inexpensively.
Some of the things you can do with veggies to make a very cheap meal...All prices based on seasonal sales for a family of 3, in the winter I will have a much harder time since I don't like most winter veggies.
Sauteed Summer Squash and Zucchini ($1) an ear of Corn on the cob, (1.00) 2 chicken breasts (1.50) Spices and Marinades (.50) 1 pound mushrooms (1.49), My whole family would be fed for $5.49 or less since I have to guestimate spices (I buy in bulk)
Baked Potatoes (.57), Toppings Sour cream(.25)Butter (.25) Cheese (.75), Salad Lettuce (.65) Tomato (.99) Mushrooms (.50) Cucumber (.25) Lauren and Chris would add a Hamburger on a bun (.39) (1.00) so the grand total, $5.60
See how by taking away the meat portions of these meals, you would drop the price by between $1.39 and 1.50? And remember there are only two people eating the meat in these menus, how much cheaper would it be for a larger family?
Tonight for dinner, We are having Beans, rice, and chicken, Hubby will probably put his in a burrito shell, me, I will serve mine over a bed of lettuce, and Lauren will probably have hers plain. The Beans will be divided before I serve them so there are some left, and I should get 3 cans worth out of this bag or more.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Potatoes
Well we are off and running, I just loaded 8 pounds of potatoes into the oven. $2.50 for 16 potatoes. 3 will be eaten for dinner tonight as baked potatoes, leaving 13 to be converted into twice baked.
Twice baked Potatoes
13 baked potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter cubed
2 cups cheese divided
Slice potatoes in half, scoop out insides leaving slight shell.
Mash the potatoes, sour cream, butter, and 1 cup of the cheese together.
Refill the potato shells top with remaining cheese and flash freeze til solid.
To reheat this summer, we will use the toaster oven for 20 minutes at 350 or microwave til warm. They will go well with any grilled foods, and tomorrow I am picking up another 5 pounds to see what else I can make since they are only 99 cents for the 5 pounds.
Twice baked Potatoes
13 baked potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 stick butter cubed
2 cups cheese divided
Slice potatoes in half, scoop out insides leaving slight shell.
Mash the potatoes, sour cream, butter, and 1 cup of the cheese together.
Refill the potato shells top with remaining cheese and flash freeze til solid.
To reheat this summer, we will use the toaster oven for 20 minutes at 350 or microwave til warm. They will go well with any grilled foods, and tomorrow I am picking up another 5 pounds to see what else I can make since they are only 99 cents for the 5 pounds.
Thursday, April 24, 2008
My Grandpas Spaghetti Sauce
Today I had grand plans of making a triple batch of meatballs to go with my Favorite spaghetti sauce recipe, but decided at the last minute that I am just going to use the meat as is in the sauce.
I will be cooking up 3 pounds of ground meat with about a half cup of dehydrated onions and about a quarter cup of dehydrated garlic and about an eighth of a cup of dehydrated Vegetables. Why all the dry veggies? No reason other than I am being lazy. Usually I chop an onion, a bulb of garlic and some bell pepper, celery, and zucchini to go in my sauce, but today I am not up to it, and thats where the convenience of dry comes in handy. Since I tend to boil rather than fry my meat, There will be plenty of water for them to rehydrate. As for the meat, today I am using 1 pound each of ground buffalo, beef, and italian sausage.
I will then rinse and drain the meat and veggies while I open cans, for normal people that is a relatively quick task but since I have not had good luck with electric can openers and I am not using home canned tomatoes (I ran out of the ones that are chopped, next year I am just doing diced or pureed) I have 4 quarts of tomatoes, a 15 ounce can of Tomato sauce and a 6 ounce can of tomato paste and a 4 ounce can of mushrooms (only one because its all I have left) to open. Yes, thats 7 cans and I can only stand for so long.
My grandpa's original recipe only calls for two quarts of tomatoes, but we find that its too thick with only two, you can used diced, chunked, whole (if you want to do a lot of mashing), crushed or Pureed, I use a combination of everything but whole.
As for seasoning, I guess this started back in the day when convenience foods were just getting started because it calls for two packets of spaghetti seasoning, I haven't found a comparable substitute that I like yet, so I stick with what Grandpa used. Genreally I pick up whatever store brand is closest to two for a dollar (Boy inflation stinks, its a good thing this makes a LOT)
I mix everything in my biggest stock pot, thanks to my mother in law, I finally have one big enough that I can make the recipe in ONE pan, lol.
Bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings (I always add more garlic, basil, and what my spice jar calls Pizza seasoning, its similar to italian seasoning but more spicy) then simmer for about 3 hours on low heat. After 3 hours its time to put on your pasta water, when it comes to a boil and you boile your pasta til al dente the sauce is done.
After dinner, I package up the leftovers, we have A LOT of leftovers since this recipe was designed to feed a family of 8 two meals before the extra two quarts of tomatoes. I think I make this sauce about every two months or so, plus we use cans whenever I am really lazy (with premade meatballs in the crockpot Chris doesn't know the difference, the key is the LONG simmer time)
As for cost, I will calculate out three different cost factors.
Home canned tomatoes cost me 83 cents per quart (would be much cheaper if my tomatoes would come in before November and I got more than a quart off of my six plants, but I digress) $3.32 that way. I bought these ones on sale for $1 per quart, so thats $4, but normally I am more prepared and spend $2.33 on a number 10 can from Sams. When you average the three the tomatoes cost about $3.21 so thats the figure I am going to use.
The tomatoe sauce I get from Sams, but I never pay more than 66 cents for the two 8 ounce cans either so we will figure 66 cents there.
The Tomato paste, also from Sam's (can you tell I like to buy tomatoes products in bulk?) But that averages around 69 cents for a can in the regular stores here. Mushrooms are up to 59 cents per can now.
The meat, Ground beef I get for $1.79 per pound, you can use ground turkey for a lot less, by ground buffalo was free (thanks to MIL and FIL) and the sausage was $1.67, but for normalcy sake we will say I used three pounds of ground beef as thats how I normally do it. $5.37
Grand total for this HUGE pot of spaghetti sauce
$5.37
0.66
0.69
0.59
+3.21
________
$10.52
not too bad when you figure I will get about 6 meals out of this or more.
I will be cooking up 3 pounds of ground meat with about a half cup of dehydrated onions and about a quarter cup of dehydrated garlic and about an eighth of a cup of dehydrated Vegetables. Why all the dry veggies? No reason other than I am being lazy. Usually I chop an onion, a bulb of garlic and some bell pepper, celery, and zucchini to go in my sauce, but today I am not up to it, and thats where the convenience of dry comes in handy. Since I tend to boil rather than fry my meat, There will be plenty of water for them to rehydrate. As for the meat, today I am using 1 pound each of ground buffalo, beef, and italian sausage.
I will then rinse and drain the meat and veggies while I open cans, for normal people that is a relatively quick task but since I have not had good luck with electric can openers and I am not using home canned tomatoes (I ran out of the ones that are chopped, next year I am just doing diced or pureed) I have 4 quarts of tomatoes, a 15 ounce can of Tomato sauce and a 6 ounce can of tomato paste and a 4 ounce can of mushrooms (only one because its all I have left) to open. Yes, thats 7 cans and I can only stand for so long.
My grandpa's original recipe only calls for two quarts of tomatoes, but we find that its too thick with only two, you can used diced, chunked, whole (if you want to do a lot of mashing), crushed or Pureed, I use a combination of everything but whole.
As for seasoning, I guess this started back in the day when convenience foods were just getting started because it calls for two packets of spaghetti seasoning, I haven't found a comparable substitute that I like yet, so I stick with what Grandpa used. Genreally I pick up whatever store brand is closest to two for a dollar (Boy inflation stinks, its a good thing this makes a LOT)
I mix everything in my biggest stock pot, thanks to my mother in law, I finally have one big enough that I can make the recipe in ONE pan, lol.
Bring to a boil, simmer for 30 minutes, taste and adjust seasonings (I always add more garlic, basil, and what my spice jar calls Pizza seasoning, its similar to italian seasoning but more spicy) then simmer for about 3 hours on low heat. After 3 hours its time to put on your pasta water, when it comes to a boil and you boile your pasta til al dente the sauce is done.
After dinner, I package up the leftovers, we have A LOT of leftovers since this recipe was designed to feed a family of 8 two meals before the extra two quarts of tomatoes. I think I make this sauce about every two months or so, plus we use cans whenever I am really lazy (with premade meatballs in the crockpot Chris doesn't know the difference, the key is the LONG simmer time)
As for cost, I will calculate out three different cost factors.
Home canned tomatoes cost me 83 cents per quart (would be much cheaper if my tomatoes would come in before November and I got more than a quart off of my six plants, but I digress) $3.32 that way. I bought these ones on sale for $1 per quart, so thats $4, but normally I am more prepared and spend $2.33 on a number 10 can from Sams. When you average the three the tomatoes cost about $3.21 so thats the figure I am going to use.
The tomatoe sauce I get from Sams, but I never pay more than 66 cents for the two 8 ounce cans either so we will figure 66 cents there.
The Tomato paste, also from Sam's (can you tell I like to buy tomatoes products in bulk?) But that averages around 69 cents for a can in the regular stores here. Mushrooms are up to 59 cents per can now.
The meat, Ground beef I get for $1.79 per pound, you can use ground turkey for a lot less, by ground buffalo was free (thanks to MIL and FIL) and the sausage was $1.67, but for normalcy sake we will say I used three pounds of ground beef as thats how I normally do it. $5.37
Grand total for this HUGE pot of spaghetti sauce
$5.37
0.66
0.69
0.59
+3.21
________
$10.52
not too bad when you figure I will get about 6 meals out of this or more.
Saturday, April 19, 2008
Stick with it
Yesterday we had a reality check.
Chris was put down to 4 days per week for a while, we don't know how long but for a while.
I had already made a menu plan for the week, but I have had such a hard time sticking with it.
This time we have NO choice but to stick with it.
For breakfasts we will be having
Cinnamon rolls
Yogurt and fruit (twice)
Eggs and toast
Cottage Cheese and Peach
Cereal and milk
Pancakes and Sausage
Lunches will be
Chicken Salad on lettuce
Chicken salad with fruit
Spaghetti Leftovers (I always have leftovers)
Tuna salad on Lettuce
Chili and baked potatoes
and a leftover day
Dinners,
Sunday we are having Ham cooked in the crockpot, Hashbrown casserole, and steamed broccoli
Monday, Chicken Quesadillas, Black beans and Corn (maybe a salad)
Tuesday Spaghetti and Meatballs the sauce recipe is my grandpa's, it makes a LOT of sauce, I am also making the meatballs out of a combination of Buffalo burger, Ground Beef and Spicy Italian sausage) We will get a minimum of 3 meals out of this. Salad and Garlic Bread. (I will make the sauce and meatballs on Monday and just reheat after therapy)
Wednesday, Bratwurst, Buns, homemade Potatoe wedges, and more steamed broccoli (gotta love fresh veggies)
Thursday, Crockpot day, try something new. We hare having Ham and Potato Casserole from Dining on a dime and Garlicky Green Beans will be thrown togther when I get home from Therapy
Friday, I am being lazy. We are having Nachos with the leftover chili from lunch and basic toppings to go with it.
Saturday we will kill off the leftover chili with taco salad and twice baked potatoes.
Now I just have to be DETERMINED to Stick to it.
Chris was put down to 4 days per week for a while, we don't know how long but for a while.
I had already made a menu plan for the week, but I have had such a hard time sticking with it.
This time we have NO choice but to stick with it.
For breakfasts we will be having
Cinnamon rolls
Yogurt and fruit (twice)
Eggs and toast
Cottage Cheese and Peach
Cereal and milk
Pancakes and Sausage
Lunches will be
Chicken Salad on lettuce
Chicken salad with fruit
Spaghetti Leftovers (I always have leftovers)
Tuna salad on Lettuce
Chili and baked potatoes
and a leftover day
Dinners,
Sunday we are having Ham cooked in the crockpot, Hashbrown casserole, and steamed broccoli
Monday, Chicken Quesadillas, Black beans and Corn (maybe a salad)
Tuesday Spaghetti and Meatballs the sauce recipe is my grandpa's, it makes a LOT of sauce, I am also making the meatballs out of a combination of Buffalo burger, Ground Beef and Spicy Italian sausage) We will get a minimum of 3 meals out of this. Salad and Garlic Bread. (I will make the sauce and meatballs on Monday and just reheat after therapy)
Wednesday, Bratwurst, Buns, homemade Potatoe wedges, and more steamed broccoli (gotta love fresh veggies)
Thursday, Crockpot day, try something new. We hare having Ham and Potato Casserole from Dining on a dime and Garlicky Green Beans will be thrown togther when I get home from Therapy
Friday, I am being lazy. We are having Nachos with the leftover chili from lunch and basic toppings to go with it.
Saturday we will kill off the leftover chili with taco salad and twice baked potatoes.
Now I just have to be DETERMINED to Stick to it.
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Spring is in the air
Unfortunately this year I am not likely to be in any shape to actually garden.
Every year since we moved out of apartments we have had at least a few tomato and pepper plants. I have planted from seeds most years but this year was kinda under the weather when it came time to plant. I am considering investing in a Topsy Turvy to plant one plant and hang it, just for that fresh flavor.
Fresh produce is uncomarable to the stuff that you get in the grocery store since for the most part that is not truly local produce. When its been trucked in to your local grocery store its been picked early, and stored for a while, sometimes its been weeks since it was last picked....that actually makes the frozen veggies a better health choice since they are frozen almost immediately after picking to preserve freshness.
It makes our local produce stand that will be opening in about a month and a half seem really really good and worth the sometimes extra expense. They are picked daily and the only transportation they go through is a few miles to get into the city....I can't wait til June.
Every year since we moved out of apartments we have had at least a few tomato and pepper plants. I have planted from seeds most years but this year was kinda under the weather when it came time to plant. I am considering investing in a Topsy Turvy to plant one plant and hang it, just for that fresh flavor.
Fresh produce is uncomarable to the stuff that you get in the grocery store since for the most part that is not truly local produce. When its been trucked in to your local grocery store its been picked early, and stored for a while, sometimes its been weeks since it was last picked....that actually makes the frozen veggies a better health choice since they are frozen almost immediately after picking to preserve freshness.
It makes our local produce stand that will be opening in about a month and a half seem really really good and worth the sometimes extra expense. They are picked daily and the only transportation they go through is a few miles to get into the city....I can't wait til June.
Monday, April 14, 2008
changes
We are changing our household diet.
Now I know many people eat naturally to begin with, but we...well, we didn't. My pantry was and to some extent still is, lined with pre-made things. Right now though the only real premade thing we have in that pantry is spaghetti sauce, most of the rest is now in ingredient form.
We have had some issues with Lauren's attitude, major issues. So we have decided to give a two week trial to eating Almost all of our meals at home from home cooking.
So far we had spaghetti and no troubles with the attitude, Tonight we had polish sausage and macaroni and cheese (the last of the from a box macaroni and cheese) and no attitude issues today either...I am wondering now since we still ate somewhat processed foods if its not the processed foods that were getting the better of her but something else.
Tomorrow we are trying a new casserole, basically a mexican lasagna in the crockpot while I am at Physical Therapy. Wednesday We are having Chicken tenders, Salad and probably rolls. Thursday is our unhealthy day, I will pick up Rallys after physical Therapy. Friday, we will be having Roast Beef sandwiches with au jus, homemade though. Saturday we will likely have something easy, but I haven't planned that far in advance. If I cook most of our meals I think we have a great shot at the attitude going away and me losing weight. I was down 6lbs 2 days ago, from the beginning of March, however the scale doesn't seem to like me on a daily basis and sometimes it goes right back to where it started, its so depressing.
Now I know many people eat naturally to begin with, but we...well, we didn't. My pantry was and to some extent still is, lined with pre-made things. Right now though the only real premade thing we have in that pantry is spaghetti sauce, most of the rest is now in ingredient form.
We have had some issues with Lauren's attitude, major issues. So we have decided to give a two week trial to eating Almost all of our meals at home from home cooking.
So far we had spaghetti and no troubles with the attitude, Tonight we had polish sausage and macaroni and cheese (the last of the from a box macaroni and cheese) and no attitude issues today either...I am wondering now since we still ate somewhat processed foods if its not the processed foods that were getting the better of her but something else.
Tomorrow we are trying a new casserole, basically a mexican lasagna in the crockpot while I am at Physical Therapy. Wednesday We are having Chicken tenders, Salad and probably rolls. Thursday is our unhealthy day, I will pick up Rallys after physical Therapy. Friday, we will be having Roast Beef sandwiches with au jus, homemade though. Saturday we will likely have something easy, but I haven't planned that far in advance. If I cook most of our meals I think we have a great shot at the attitude going away and me losing weight. I was down 6lbs 2 days ago, from the beginning of March, however the scale doesn't seem to like me on a daily basis and sometimes it goes right back to where it started, its so depressing.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
What's the best way to save money?
Do Not let food go to waste. We had a BAD experience today. I attempted to make a chicken dish. I put the BONELESS SKINLESS Chicken thighs in the crock pot and discovered after a couple hours that they have Bones and skin. YUCK! They smelled so bad I nearly lost it. Needless to say they are garbage. I think they were in the freezer too long or something, they tasted aweful and I didn't even get to use the recipe, I think I will try it again with Chicken breasts, but I will cook and shred the breasts first before I make that meal.
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