Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap - When It's Comfort You Need

My husband left for work today, which involves opening the basement door and walking down the stairs to his office, and immediately called up the stairs, "Uh, Gayle...could you come here a minute?"

Yeah, raw sewage two inches deep in our basement.

The culprit? A small bouncy ball that got lodged in the main sewer line and cost $250 for roto-rooter to get out.

So today's recipe involves chocolate. Lots and lots of chocolate.

5 Ingredient No Bake Reeses Bars

If you'd like to participate in the recipe swap please remember to link directly to your post, not your homepage and don't forget a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Homemade Peanut Butter - Holy Cow It's Cheaper!

I wasn't so sure how this was going to turn out. It's been a long time since I could afford the all natural peanut butter. We've been surviving on Jiff for the last few years which tastes nice and sweet but it's killing me one spoonful at a time with all it's sugar, fat and chemicals.

Still tastes good though.

And then through web surfing and recipe searches I came across loads of homemade peanut butter recipes and decided to give it a try. I ended up tweaking the recipes until I got the right consistency and flavor for my family and this is the end result.

Homemade 100% Natural Peanut Butter In 5 Minutes Or Less!

You'll need....

a food processor

1 1/2 cups unsalted, roasted peanuts

2 tablespoons peanut oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

Honey (optional) hey, we're just coming off Jiff.

Pour all ingredients in food processor and process until creamy. We added 2 tablespoons of local farmers market honey to sweeten it up a bit but if you're already used to the all natural peanut butter it tastes just fine without it.

And (drum roll please) the total cost for 11 ounces of all natural peanut butter?

$.98

I priced Smart Balance, Adams, Hearts and Minds, and Crazy Richards peanut butters and for the same amount and similar quality it would have cost between $3.08 - 3.96 to purchase it pre-made.

Besides the fact that homemade is incredibly cheaper you can also control the salt, sweetener, quantity, and texture of the finished product.

And if you prefer chunky texture, just hold out 1/4 cup of the peanuts until the very end and then add them to your creamy product and process until coarsely chopped.

For storage, keep in a cool airtight container in your fridge for up to 2 weeks.

For more WFMW tips go Here!

Weekly Shopping Trip

Oh, there were so any good bargains out this week that I had to pass up. I had no extra in the budget so I had to stick religiously to my plan but I passed up a whole bag of lemons for $1, 4 avocados for $1, and a head of cauliflower for $.79 just to name a few.

(thinking happy thoughts)

S & S

Bag of chocolate for my final co-op meeting $1.99
Strawberries $1.39
Apricot Jam $.99
Dishwasher detergent $.99
2 cans tomato paste $.78
1 can vegetable beef soup $.49
1 can cream of chicken soup $.59

Franz

3 loaves potato bread
1 loaf of 40 calorie/slice bread
1 loaf Texas toast $4.70

Grocery Outlet

TP $2.99
Kitchen garbage bags $.99
Chips $2.99
Olives $.79
Rotini $1.29
Spaghetti $.99
2 bottles ranch dressing $1.98
shredded cheese $1.99
Frozen blackberries $1.99
Sour cream $.99
Parmesan $1.99
6 Chicken thighs with $2 off coupon $2.51

Win-co

18 eggs $1.76
2 containers whipped topping $1.56
100 tea bags $1.04
Gallon milk $1.98
Strawberry yogurt (should be making my own but lazy me) $1.48
Pork sausage $2.28
Unsalted butter $1.98
Bulk chili Powder $.20
3/4 lb bulk unsalted roasted peanuts $.96
3 1/3 lbs tomatoes on the vine $3.27
1 lb bulk chocolate chips $2.33
Peanut Oil $3.66
3lbs bananas $1.63

Grand Total $57.62

To see the menu and recipes that go with this weeks shopping trip, go HERE.

How did your shopping go this week?

To participate, please include a link to your post, not your homepage. Please include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge. Thanks!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm looking forward to trying a few new things this week...homemade peanut butter, a cheap and simple recipe for homemade tomato juice, and sesame bread. We also have company for dinner on Tuesday and a potluck on Saturday. Check out the frugal plans I have for those days.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal with apples and brown sugar

Cranberry struesel muffins

Upside down blueberry pancake

Banana-Berry smoothies and toast with homemade peanut butter

Breakfast Biscuits and fruit

Pancakes

Toast and fruit

Dinners

Spaghetti, green beans, and garlic toast

Ranch chicken thighs, scalloped potatoes, sliced fresh veggies and dip, chocolate torte with strawberries and cool whip (company for dinner)

Bean, veggie and pasta soup (pantry leftovers), peasant bread

Nacho Casserole with chips, sliced veggies and sour cream

Beef and potato casserole, fresh veggies, sesame seed bread

Potluck-Tomato Basil Pasta Salad

Leftover Night

Weekend Link Luv

Here are some good internet places to check out this weekend.

We have two vehicles, a gas guzzling suburban that is the only vehicle that will fit our whole family at once and has four wheel drive during the winter, and an economical volvo that gets driven on all other occasions. To keep our gas costs at a minimum, we budget $20 for each vehicle per week and try to to combine several errands into one trip to town. On that kind of gas budget we have to find the cheapest gas prices around. I use THIS site. You enter in your zip code and it gives you a list of current prices in your neck of the woods. Such a cool feature.

Want to get rid of the expense of paper napkins? Check out this cute pattern for homemade recversable rick rack cloth napkins. Such a great idea to cut costs and set a pretty table to boot!

Want to make sure that the movie you rented (or checked out for FREE at the library) is ok for the whole family? It would be a shame to waste all that money. Check out Common Sense Media for a breakdown of what's good or bad about your movie. This has helped me make some informed decisions about what I allow or don't allow my kiddos to see yet. And it's a FREE service.

Are you a bookaholic like me but can't afford to keep buying books? Check out PaperbackSwap. For the cost of media mail shipping you can go through a huge database of books and swap with other club members. It's VERY easy and again, it's a free service. If you decide to sign up please use my email address as a referral source. (gaylebryant6(at)hotmail.com)

Have fun cruising the internet this weekend.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap - So Glad It's Friday!

It's been a full and busy week. We had a birthday to celebrate, lines to memorize for a play, three yards to mow, and teacher appreciation gifts to prepare. So I'm so glad to see the weekend arrive so I can relax a little bit.

For our home school co-op we like to do a little something for the teachers that volunteered their time. This session we made some dangerously yummy goodies, wrapped them in some cellophane with ribbon and put the goodies inside a cute mug. Thrifty, delicious, and the perfect gift for our teachers.

Here's the recipe for these yummy Oreo Truffles that we made. They cost me $.80 per half dozen to make.

If you'd like to share a recipe PLEASE remember to link directly to your post, not to your home page and PLEASE include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

Feeding More Than Just Your Own Family

Karla asked...

My husband is a pastor, and we should entertain more than we do. I hardly ever have people over, because it seems that any good meals are so expensive and hard to make. "Hard to make" never works out for me, and "Expensive" doesn't work for our budget. Is there any way you could suggest a few easy, company-worthy meals that won't break the bank? Thank you so much.

When we started this lower budget, one of my worst fears was not being able to provide a yummy meal for company. I thought that our days of guests for dinner were over mainly because I felt like I had to make a big deal over a meal when guests were here. I guess my main focus was "impressing with my meal" rather than enjoying the company of others. Very Mary vs Martha of me. But I was really hung up on it.

But when push came to shove I couldn't stand NOT having people over, so I changed my focus from impressing to providing a good meal, and our entertaining become much more relaxing and enjoyable and everyone still walked away with a tummy full of a good meal.

I use the same basic guidelines for guests as I do with our own families meals. We use meat in small portions, (usually as a part of a casserole) make sure that the side dishes are filling, and drinks are usually water in a pretty pitcher with a slice of lemon, or a homemade batch of iced tea or lemonade.

To bump it up a bit for company I usually offer a dessert, make sure my table is set with a tablecloth and the nicer dishes and glasses, and take my presentation up a notch by serving out of dishes rather than the pans I cooked in.

And it's always acceptable to invite people over JUST for dessert. What a frugal way to provide some hospitality and not feel the pressure of a whole meal.

So here are a few guest menus to get you started. They are easy to prepare as well as budget conscious. I've used these with my own guests with much success.


Dinner for 8-10

Baked Chimichangas with bowls set out for sour cream, salsa and guacamole, Spanish Rice, Green Salad, water with lemon slices and Apple Cake.

Crockpot Taco Soup, green salad, Cornbread, water with lemon slices, Easy Lemon Pound Cake.

Crockpot falafel served in a pita with lettuce, tomato and cucumber sauce, green salad, lemonade, sliced fresh fruit with whipping cream.

Ground Beef Gyros in pitas with lettuce, tomato and cucumber sauce, green salad with feta, tomatoes and olives, apple dumplings with ice cream.

Just dessert (usually offer fresh coffee)

Chocolate Torte with fresh strawberries and cool whip. (Very thrifty, delicious and impressive on a plate.)

Apple Dumplings with french vanilla ice cream. (these are INCREDIBLE!)


So don't hold back. There are ways to provide hospitality without feeling the need to serve fancy and expensive meals. Your guests really are coming to see you, not the food.

WFMW - Save On Batteries

We go through AA batteries faster than you can blink around here and I'm just sick of it. I use them for my digital camera, wireless mouse, kids toys, atomic clocks, and various other important things. And to find myself without batteries, or worse, without any spare bucks to get new ones FAST, is a desperate thing. Those little buggers can rack up the dollar signs. So I decided to invest in a battery recharger and haven't looked back.

I keep spare batteries in my charger at all times and when the charge runs out in my camera or a toy I immediately have a new batch to put in and begin charging the dead ones. No trip to the store, no digging through my purse for a few bucks, and no battery-operated toy or appliance sitting unused around my house. And my rechargeable batteries have lasted me for multiple years.

The initial expense of the charger and re-chargeable batteries pays for itself in just a few months. You can check my left sidebar under "I Recommend" for a great set-up. It's the Cadillac of rechargers and comes with AA and AAA batteries and can even be used for larger sizes as well.

It's literally saved me $100's of dollars

For more WFMW tips go Here.

****Here's the link to the charger that I recommend.

GCC Shopping Round Up - Yeah, that's what I'm talkin 'bout!

1. I REALLY love and appreciate my husband.
2. No worries, I've got plenty of pepto bismal in the cupboard for the next day.
3. Note to self: This is why you always build your menu around what you already have, not completely from store bought ingredients and definitely not from cravings.

My husband and I are on this $60 a week grocery plan together. We're a team. We entered in with complete agreement on the budget and the sacrifices...and the beans. Fortunately I married a man who isn't a complainer either. Even when I cook something and he doesn't like it, very seldom will he tell me. The only clues I have are when he says, "Honey, maybe we shouldn't make this one again." and he's probably only said that to me twice in nearly 15 years of marriage.

So he totally deserves steak and all the trimming for his birthday dinner.

But I have to say, I nearly puked when I saw the register receipt this week. I just had to keep saying.....I Love This Man, I Love This Man. We are going to have to have breakfast at 7AM to get all this eating in.

For breakfast he requested (and this is exactly his words):

Starbucks Coffee
OJ and V8
Scrambled eggs with chunky salsa
rye toast soaked in butter
5 sausage links
shredded hash browns

For Lunch:

Artichoke and sun dried tomato pizza and vanilla coke. (I'll purchase this pre-made at a later time)

For Dinner:

Steak
garlic mashed potatoes
steamed broccoli
garlic toast
pink lemonade
dense chocolate dessert with cool whip

(you'll find recipes in yesterday's post)

So here's how it went....

S & S

5 yellow onions $.99
2 bags of Starbucks coffee $5.00
2 heads of broccoli $1.00
3 cucumbers $1.00
6 kiwi $1.00
6 tomatoes $1.00
1 jumbo can refried beans $.99


Grocery Outlet

2 cartons vanilla soy milk $1.98
large pitted olives $.79
4 double rolls TP $2.99
Toothpaste $.99
jumbo pack of chicken thighs with $2 off coupon $1.96
shredded Parmesan $1.99
rotini $.99
macaroni $.99


Win-co

2 packages of sirloin steaks (about 8) $10.76
Strawberry Yogurt $1.68
frozen orange juice $.98
gallon milk $1.98
frozen pink lemonade $.84
kosher salt $2.06
2 lbs Monterrey jack $3.98
2 lbs cheddar $3.98
whipped topping $1.18
2 cream cheese $1.96
breakfast links $5.58
V-8 juice $2.98
frozen hash browns $2.34
5 dozen eggs $6.95
1/2 lb bulk toasted oat cereal $.87
fresh basil $.48
1.5 lbs bulk oats $.66
Salsa $2.48
3.25 lbs apples $2.14
Real butter $1.98
5lb red potatoes $2.68
2 lb carrots $.98
2.75 lbs bananas $1.60

Grand Total $84.78 + pizza and pop later

I'm going to enjoy every beautiful bite.

How did your shopping trip go this week?

Menu Plan Monday - Birthday Edition

So Wednesday is my husbands birthday. We aren't big on giving gifts to each other but on birthdays we get to pick a favorite breakfast. This year I let Chris pick a breakfast AND dinner. This is SO going to blow the budget but considering the fact that he's the only one bringing home the "bacon" while I get to stay home with the kids and he's graciously allowed me to feed him huge quantities of lentils without complaint, I feel like it's the least I can do.

Word of advice....Never ask them what they want to eat for their birthday meal when they have an empty stomach. You'll see why in a minute.

Breakfasts

Oatmeal with apples and brown sugar

Cheerio Breakfast Cookies

Fresh Ground Coffee, OJ, V8, scrambled eggs with salsa, rye toast, sausage links, hash browns

Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Yogurt and fruit

Pancakes

Oatmeal with apples and brown sugar

Dinners

Mexican Pizza

Tomato Basil Pasta Salad, Crusty French Bread

Steak, steamed broccoli, Garlic Toast, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Chocolate Torte

Homemade chicken noodle soup, buttery bread machine rolls

Baked Rice and Artichoke Casserole with marinated tomatoes

Mock Tuna Salad and sliced veggies

Leftover Night

I'm going to ATTEMPT to keep my budget at $80 this week. We'll see.....

Weekend Link Luv

There is just so much fun and frugal stuff on the internet....

HERE's a great site to go to for thrifty crafty projects. She uses $1 store items to make some amazing things. One of my favorites is the Tea Towel Totes. Yeah, about $1-2 for a cute grocery or tote bag. Can't beat that.

If you're looking to put a cheap fence up around your garden HERE's a great tutorial. It's the one we are going to use this year to keep the elk and deer away from my veggies.

Want to teach your kids about coin collecting? HERE's a great way to start for only $4. What an amazing project.

Have an old cell phone laying around your house collecting dust? Turn it into a few bucks by trading it in. Go look HERE to see how much yours might be worth. I made $20 bucks!

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap

It's been a crazy day today. I've left my house no less than three times, dropped off two hospitality meals, had meetings, kid stuff and planning to do. So, I'm hitting the hay with no recipe for you today. Take it away girls.....


Please remember to link directly to your post, not your homepage.

Please remember to include a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge.

In The News

Here's a link to my most recent newspaper column. It will probably look familiar to those of you who've cruised through my archives.

How To Save Hundreds Of Dollars On Laundry Every Year

We have six people living in this house which means LOTS of laundry. With two adults, three rough and tumble boys and a daughter who changes clothes as many times as the mood strikes her, it takes me three to four loads a day to keep from getting buried in dirty clothes. Even using the one-towel-per-week rule, if I skip a day, I'm doomed. Which means my dryer could run almost all day long.

An electric dryer uses around 4000 watts of electricity per hour. My local electric company charges me 5.12 cents per kWh(which means 5.12 cents for every 1000 watts per hour).

Excuse me while I go math-geek on you. I do have a HUGE point to make.

4 x 5.12 cents = 21 cents per hour it costs me to run my dryer.

No big deal right? Only 21 cents? That's not much. It usually takes an hour to an hour and a half for me to dry a large load of towels. No biggie. But consider this. I run my dryer for an average of 5 hours....5 days a week.

21 cents per hour x 5 hours = $1.05 per day.

$1.05 per day x 5 days = $5.25 per week.

$5.25 per week x 52 weeks = $273.oo per year.

Now we're talking. See how those pennies can accumulate? Wouldn't you like to knock $273.oo off your budget each year? That's a frugal weekend at the beach, fresh paint throughout your whole house, a huge chunk towards paying off some debt, a nice chunk in your savings account.

So how can you do it? It's as simple as a clothesline.

If you hung all of your laundry on a clothesline you would save hundreds of dollars per year. But let's be conservative. Even if you only hung half of your laundry on a clothesline you'd still save over $100. My husband always says, "Well, if you found a $100 bill laying on the street, would you pick it up?" Uh...yeah! Duh!

Consider it picked up.

I happen to have a house that came with those metal posts already cemented into the ground so all I did was go to the dollar store and for $2 I got some new nylon laundry line and strung it up. I invested in some wooden spring-hinged clothespins that have lasted me at least 10 years, through sudden rainstorms, kids playing with them, and numerous loads of laundry. (Don't buy plastic. They end up breaking every year and you have to replace them too often.) And I'm set.

If you don't have posts in your yard you can buy a reasonably priced umbrella clothesline that folds up for around $50. (see my left sidebar under "I Recommend") And if you need to dry them inside you can buy a retractable clothesline for a little under $50 (see sidebar). The retractables are so cool because they just roll right up when you're not using them and can be used in small spaces.

Don't want to spend the money? Build your own. Get creative with some dollar store nylon line and a couple of trees in the backyard. Put some hooks between your deckposts and string some line up there. String up your garage. There are a gazillion ways to do it. And for a few hundred bucks in savings, it's worth it to get creative.

Here are a few tips for air drying your clothes...

• If your clothes are going to be in direct sun, hang them inside out to avoid fading.


• Hang clothes by their seams to avoid clothespin indentations on the front of your clothing.


• Knit clothing stays soft when hung outside but towels and jeans can get stiff. My husband likes it but I don't. Before they are completely dry, throw them in the dryer for about 10 minutes to soften them up and finish drying.


• The neater you hang your clothes the less wrinkles you'll have. Don't be messy = less ironing.


• Make sure your clothesline isn't set up around pine trees or sap will get on your clothes.


• Clothes that need to be hung up after drying can just be put on a hanger to dry. It saves a step and space on your clothesline.


• Hang matching socks together with one clothespin to also save time. Make sure to hang them toe-down. They will dry faster and softer.

If you want to save even more, try homemade laundry detergent at a penny per load.

For more WFMW tips go HERE.

GCC Shopping Round Up - Upcoming Workshop!

If you're a local I've finally nailed down the details for my first workshop. Thanks to all of you who gave me ideas. It was SO helpful. I've limited class size to ONLY 12 because I want it to be small enough to be able to get comfortable and talk and share ideas. So if you are interested call the Longview Parks and Rec department (360.442.5400) to sign up. I'm sure we'll fill up fast. Here are the details...


LOWER YOUR HOUSEHOLD BUDGET...


Gayle Bryant, Common Cents columnist for the Daily News and author of the website The Grocery Cart Challenge will be teaching you tips and tricks to cut your household budget. In this fun class you'll learn how to make all your household cleaners for pennies, make a weekly menu plan, and shop on a budget without using coupons. You'll get to sample some frugal foods and go home with recipes and resources to lower your budget. Bring three empty refillable spray bottles, fee includes all other supplies. Cost is $20 plus a $10 supply fee. Saturday, June 26th from 10-noon.


I slogged through rain and hail to get my groceries today and came home drenched. It's worth it though for the good produce deals I found...2 bunches of organic bananas for a dollar and 2 bags of on the vine tomatoes for $.69 each as well as some other great deals.

Franz Bread Outlet Store


5 loaves of Milk and Honey Bread $4.70


S & S Liquidators


2 bunches organic bananas $1.00
2 large cans spaghetti sauce $1.58
Coffee $2.99
2 bags on the vine tomatoes $1.38
2 jars Peanut Butter $2.98
4 cans beans $1.56
3 cans tomato sauce $1.17
Jar of Knott's seedless strawberry jam $.99



Dollar Tree


6 bars of soap $2.00
1 deodorant $1.00


Win-Co
Washing Soda $2.70
Vegetable Oil $2.58
2 tubs cottage cheese $2.46
Borax $3.78
3 cans corn $1.62
2 boxes margarine $1.38
Fels Naptha Bar $1.12
Lemon Juice $1.58
2 lb Monterrey jack $3.98
Mozzarella $1.97
Cheddar $1.64
1/2 lb bulk crispy rice cereal $.75
3/4 lb bulk dry milk $2.63
1/4 lb bulk sliced almonds $.52
1/4 bulk flaked coconut $.30
4 lbs ground beef $7.52
green onions $.38
cucumber $.58
3 lbs apples $2.19



Grand Total $61.03


How did your shopping go this week?

Please remember to link directly to your post, not your homepage.

Please remember to link back to the Grocery Cart Challenge.

Menu Plan Monday

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. We have some well deserved belly aches at our house and a few kids with permanent candy stains around their mouths.

I managed to save one ham bone from a fuzzy death in my mother-in-laws garbage can but the turkey carcass got away before I could save it. Being frugal minded makes waste a nearly painful thing to witness. So you'll see a recipe for Crockpot Split Pea Soup using my salvaged ham bone this week. I also have a meal to take to a new mom. The Texas Lasagna is my new hospitality meal. It's so good and is a great alternative for a gluten free family that can't eat the regular noodles in a lasagna. And then I have a potluck dessert meeting this week that I"ll be bringing Black Bottom Banana Bars to. A very frugal dessert that requires ingredients that you already probably have on hand.

I found myself with stray veggies, canned goods and other ingredients to use up this week so my menu is based around those things.

So here's what on our menu this week.

Breakfasts

Leftover Fresh Orange Muffins from last week

No Bake Cranberry Nut Granola Bars

Pancakes

Cranberry Streusal Muffins

Hard boiled Eggs and Fruit

Oatmeal

Toast and Fruit

Dinners

Stove top Tamale Pie with fresh sliced veggies

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup, Buttery Bread Machine Rolls

Cabbage Casserole

Texas Lasagna, Creamy Corn Salad, Ginger Cookies (doubled for us and another family)

West African Beans with rice and sliced veggies

Leftover Night

Scrambled eggs and toast

Check back tomorrow to see how my $60 budget stretched to make these dishes this week.

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap - Chocolate Pancake Syrup

I mentioned earlier that I've been getting frustrated with my homemade maple syrup hardening into a rock in the bottom of my container so I decided to see what other syrup options I might have. When I have berries I sometimes make syrup with them, but when I found myself without berries where else should I turn, but to chocolate. I came up with this and it was really yummy. We spread Peanut Butter on our pancakes and topped them with homemade chocolate syrup.

Chocolate Pancake Syrup


1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking cocoa
5 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup water
4 teaspoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together sugar, cocoa, cornstarch and water in a saucepan until smooth. Heat until thick and bubbly. Add butter and vanilla and mix well. Makes 2 cups. (You could half this for a smaller family)

What's cooking at your house this week?

Please remember to link directly to your post, not your home page.

Please remember to provide a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge from your post.

How To Start Your Veggie Seeds Indoors

This is a rerun JUST because I realized I needed to start my tomatoes in the next few weeks. So if you're starting to think about your garden yet...and you should be....then let's get started soon!

Oooh I love spring. Spring to a Washingtonian means respite from the gray, wet, gloomy winter and a little bit of sunshine to glow off our pasty white skin. It also means fresh laundry on the clothesline and sprouting seeds for my garden.

I've been working on starting my seeds over the past few weeks and just in case you want to get your garden going, I though I'd post how we do it.

First of all, starting your seeds indoors about four weeks before you plant them in your garden is a good way to save money. Starting from seed means not only having control over the soil that your plants start growing in (think organic versus chemical fertilizers) but it is also much cheaper because nursery grown starts are marked up at least 200% more than the cost of your seed and potting soil.

I start my seeds indoors so they are well established and hearty before they are moved outside in the elements. There are some seeds I start directly in the ground like carrots but for the most part I give my veggies a healthy start in my nice climate controlled house.

First I find a nice sunny window for my plants to sit by. I happen to have a giant unfinished window seat in my house that I use for this but any window ledge or table placed in front of a window that gets several hours of daylight is a good place to use.

I make my seedling pots with black and white print newspaper not only because it's free but because when planting time comes I can just plop the whole thing into the hole. The newsprint will decompose and enrich my soil in the process. You can find out how to make the pots HERE. Then I fill the pots with potting soil and plant my seed to the depth it says on the packet.

Then I use clear plastic bins to set the plants in and give them a good watering. The bins not only protects the surface of my window seat but it also lets the light in better than a colored bin and serves as a bit of a greenhouse as the sun heats it up. The deeper walls protect the tall plants from being knocked over by kids, flying pillows from pillow fights or stray balls that get bounced in the house when I'm not looking.

I label the bins with the name of the plant as well as the date that I started the plants. This helps me to keep track of which plants I have in each bin and when it's time for them to go outside. Then I lightly water them every other day and watch them grow. It usually takes about 6 days for them to poke through and by four weeks you'll have a mini-jungle in your window, ready to be transplanted outside.

I'm no expert on gardening. I've only been doing it for a handful of years. I started with two or three plants the first year and each year I add a new plant. That seemed doable to me as a beginner and I've just kept that tradition up over the years. This year we have green beans, peas, squash, pickling cucumbers, a variety of lettuce and tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, broccoli, and our new seed.....watermelon.

I can't wait to sink my teeth into my own low-cost produce and put my savings towards other things like meat and dairy products.

Freezing Meals Part Deux

Sometimes I'm not quite sure how far to go with a post. When I'm talking in person I can usually pick up the bored/glazed eyes right away while I'm rambling on about how to make yogurt or the super sale on bananas that I found. But with blogging there are no eyes to gauge, only comments. So when I get lots of questions I get excited. Finally, a rapt audience that I haven't frugally bored to death yet!

Do you cook the meal and let it cool before you freeze it? Or do you assemble it and freeze it before cooking?

I usually freeze meals that are just prepared not cooked. I like them to be fresh baked when I eat them, not just reheated leftovers. The end result is a better quality meal. I usually assemble the whole thing up to the cooking directions and freeze at that point.

Are there certain foods or recipes that you find freeze better than others? I am sometimes weary of freezing certain things because I am unsure of how they will turn out and I don't want to waste the food if its a dud.

I've frozen casseroles, unbaked pies, bean soups, stews, chili's, baked muffins and breads, raw berries, grated veggies, and cheese dishes without any problems. I've also done raw steaks in their marinades and unbaked quiches. So if it fits into those categories, it should work just fine.

I'm wondering how much longer you need to cook the frozen casseroles or do you unthaw first?

If I have time, I'll unthaw and just follow the regular instructions. But usually I'm grabbing a freezer meal because time is short or I'm feeling lazy. You can put a frozen meal directly in the oven but allow for around 20 minutes extra in cooking time. Usually casseroles are a "cook till bubbly" kind of food so that's what you're looking for in a finished product. Be sure to check the middle though because that stays frozen the longest.

WFMW-How To Freeze Meals

On busy days when I just haven't had time to put together my planned meal, there's nothing better than to be able to walk out to my freezer and grab a meal that's all ready to go. I try and make a habit of doubling a few of my recipes each month so I can tuck one away for just such an occasion. It really doesn't take much more of my time to double what I'm already cooking and then put one of them in my freezer. But, what it DOES take is freezer space and some creative storage techniques.

I don't know about you, but I don't have a gazillion casserole dishes laying around my kitchen waiting to be used. I have a few and if I started filling them all and storing them in my freezer I wouldn't have anything left to cook with. So this is what I do when I'm storing my meals.

First I line the casserole dish with foil. This was a meal I froze last week called Baked Rice and Artichoke Hearts.

Then I put the food in and let it freeze until it's hard. As soon as it's hardened I slip the frozen meal, still in the foil, out of my casserole dish.

Then I wrap it up tight (sometimes just in foil, other times in a Ziploc bag if it fits) tuck the cooking directions into the wrapping and store it in my freezer.

When it's time to cook it I unwrap it, pop it back into the pan foil and all, and cook it. This not only keeps my dishes free to use for other things but I also don't have to wash my dish because the tin foil liner keeps it from getting dirty.

If I'm freezing soups, stews or chili's I let them cool completely and pour them into gallon size freezer bags. I squeeze out the air and seal them up tight. Then lay them on their sides so they will freeze in a flat square that can be stacked in minimal space. When ready to use I run the bag under warm water until the food seperates from the bag enough that it can be squeezed out into a pot to reheat. Sometimes I also freeze soups in plastic containers in portion sizes to be pulled out for a quick one-man lunch or easily transportable meal.

So next time you find yourself with enough ingredients to double a recipe, make sure you put one in the freezer for a busy day. You'll be so happy that you did.

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips go here.

***I had so many questions to this post that I wrote part two HERE.

GCC Shopping Round Up

Someone mentioned in a comment that they would like to be able to see my pictures better so I'm trying something a little different this week. Tell me if you like it.

Franz

5 loaves bread $4.70

S & S Liquidators

12 rolls TP $4.99
2 bags of cookies $1.58
100 packets of Equal $1.99
6 pears $2.00
3 oranges $1.00
Can of coffee $2.99
9 apples $3.00
4 cans veggies $1.56
Cream of chicken soup $.49
Starbucks Coffee $3.49

Grocery Outlet

Mayo $1.49
2 lb Strawberry Yogurt $2.98
Bacon $1.99
Frozen Corn $.79
Olive Oil $4.99
2 lb Tater Tots $2.58
Syrup $1.79
2 cartons sour cream $1.00
Cottage Cheese $1.89


Win-Co

Gallon Milk $1.99
Bulk Cinnamon $.64
red onion $.33
Bulk Seasoning Salt $1.11
2lb cheddar cheese $3.98
2lb Monterrey jack cheese $3.98
Margarine $2.04
Broccoli $1.96
Bulk Oats $.55
5 dozen eggs $8.00
Hash browns $2.34
Tomato Paste $.48
orange juice $.98
Bananas $1.79

Grand Total $77.46 (gulp) Not my best week.

How did you do this week?

Please remember to link directly to your shopping post, not your homepage. That way readers can go right to your post and don't have to sift through your blog to find it.

Also, please remember to provide a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge from your post.

Lunapad Winners

I think my love language is gift giving because I get such a thrill out of being able to give somebody something, especially when it's free. Or maybe my love language is "frugal"? Is that a love language? Either way, we have us some winners.

Lori

Tanya

Joy Comes In The Morning

Please contact me within 48 hours with your mailing address to receive your prize, otherwise I'll have to pick a new winner.

Congratulations and thank you so much to the Lunapad company for generously sponsoring this giveaway.

And if you didn't win but would like to purchase some of their products they have made a special coupon code just for the Grocery Cart Challenge readers. Upon checkout just enter the code gcc09 to recieve 10% off your purchase!

For those of you interested in Lunapads, I encourage you to sign up for their monthly newsletter HERE where you will receive advance notice of their monthly specials and new fabrics, as well as link to their featured blog posts and testimonials. For a sneak peek at their April newsletter, click HERE.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes peeled for more giveaways coming up.

Menu Plan Monday

Thank you to ALL of you who helped me with ideas on what to teach at my workshop! There were amazing ideas from all of you and you basically just put my whole curriculum together for me.

I'm so grateful!


So, this is a huge feast week across America. Time to pull out the big guns and show off your culinary skills. It seems that most of my extended family holidays are potlucks so I'm off the hook when it comes to being responsible for putting on a big feast for guests. I've got two Easter potlucks this weekend....two Easter Egg hunts....two bellyaches, I'm guessing. But good times with family.




Breakfasts



Leftover Biscuits with Jam and Fruit
Sour Cream Twists and Fruit
Apple N Oats
Fresh Orange Muffins
Yogurt and Fruit
Pancakes
Leftover Muffins



Dinners



Hot Dogs and Tater Tots (trying to keep the kids happy)
Texas Style Lasagna and Corn
West African Beans and fresh veggies
Quiche and marinated tomato salad
Leftover Night
Broccoli Salad (potluck)
Hash Brown Casserole (potluck)


Check back later today to see who the three lucky winners are from the Lunapad contest!

Just A Few Hours Left...

If you haven't already entered the Lunapad Giveaway, don't miss out. You can still enter until midnight PST. The three winners will be announced tomorrow.

Help A Girl Out?

Our local parks and rec department has contacted me to teach a class on creative savings but I have NO idea exactly what to teach. I've been living this frugal lifestyle for so long that it's just normal stuff for me so I have no idea what would actually be interesting or fresh information to someone else. It's just my life, you know? So when I was stumped I thought, "Well, I've got these Internet friends who might be able to help me out."

Any ideas?

If you had the chance to attend a class or workshop taught by me, what would you want to learn?

Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap - Chocolate Play Dough

*****Don't forget to enter the Lunapad Giveaway HERE.

So I've mentioned before that I'm teaching a class at out local co-op on chocolate. We've done an archaeological dig with the M & M's in our cookies, (graphing) designed our own candy bars, (art) wrote poems about chocolate (language arts) did M & M multiplication (math), made ice cream in sandwich bags (science) and a gazillion games and other chocolatey things to fill the time. And just when I was about to run out of ideas the good old Internet came to the rescue and I found a recipe for Chocolate Play Dough. So the kids and I whipped up a few batches tonight and had so much fun with it. It's definitely not edible (blech) but it smells so yummy! So if you want something new for the kids to play with, here you go.

Chocolate Play Dough from http://www.theideabox.com/

1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup salt
1/2 Tablespoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 Tablespoons cooking oil
1 cup boiling water

Mix flour, cocoa powder, salt, cream of tartar. Add cooking oil and boiling water. Stir quickly, mix well. Cook over low heat until dough forms a ball. When cool , mix with your hands. Store in airtight container.

What's been cooking at your house this week?

To share a recipe:

• Link directly to your chosen post, not to your homepage
• PLEASE remember to provide a link back to The Grocery Cart Challenge in the body of your post.
• If the guidelines aren't followed your link may be removed.

Creative Savings

Here's my latest newspaper article.