Still trucking along ....

It's been a while since I've last posted. I tried sticking to a once-a-month-on-the-weekend sort of deal, but life keeps getting in the way. I think Maryland's recent heat wave boiled my brain and then the smokers, the mildew in my bedroom, the continual stress which is my life, and the constant demands of two guinea pigs (one is energetic, the other one prefers to be left alone until otherwise stated) just leaves this single gal a bit tuckered out by Sunday. And then there's Monday and yet another work week to get through.

This week, thanks to my asthma, icky air quality, and smokers on the bus who just need that one last drag before they get on the bus (and inadvertently blowing it in my face and/or breathing space) and I wound up in the ER on Tuesday. My lungs finally caved. It took THREE treatments before they released me with a prescription of oral steroids. Now, thanks to blood sugars that remind me more of the recent Wall Street crisis than anything else, I'm left just a wee bit weak. I can only stand for so long. Thanks to Vicks Vapor waterless thing, I was able to sleep last night and my lungs aren't as congested as they once were and I can breath a wee bit easier. I no longer have to make the hard choice between walking or breathing :) I still have to do my usual chores and cooking (because, seriously, last week my idea was to eat gluten free Hamburger Help for a week ... it was good, but, by Friday, I had stooped to making chicken nachos), but hey, floors were made for holding dirty dishes!

Thanks to my sharp eye, I picked up some beef on sale, saving myself almost like six bucks in the process. I got split chicken breast buy one get one free. Thanks to 365 Crockpot, I got the grand idea for shredded chicken and, with that, I can add some chicken to my pinto and rice dish, and then make some awesome shredded chicken BBQ sandwiches, thanks to the French Rolls I found at Mom's Organic Market (if you're gluten free and tired of Whole Foods lack of options and high prizes, I'd highly recommend them, especially if you live in Maryland!). So, once again, with a few key ingredients and some store bought stuff (I found gluten free raviolis, gnocchi, and pierogies, I'm going to have a healthy, yummy, and relatively in-expensive meals for next month. Which is really, really great because PEPCO decided to stick their grubby little paws into my bank account (again) and I will be have to be very careful about what I do, and do not, buy. Oh and I'll need Tide and Downy - so this month ought to be, at the very least, interesting.

If you, dear reader, will allow me one paragraph on my soap box, I want to say I almost didn't make it last month. I was ready to buy the farm, to go visit my relatives in the sky above, to go and have a long talk with God, etc. As an Aspie with a deficiency in executive functioning skills and an inability to handle stress, I almost snapped. I had to take paid time without leave, which left even less in the good ol' bank account, because I got the runs from eating beans for two weeks in a row (I thought I would have learned my lesson the first time but apparently not ...). The next day was a Code Red day. I got up late, feeling really dehydrated. Well, in my confused state, I finally left the house around 2 PM for work and ... gasp ... forgot to drink water! I thus passed out in the parking lot - about four feet from work - and wound up in the ER (the ER is a constant in my life - it's really pathetic or sad or something because the three constants in life is change, taxes, and death ... and in mine, the fourth is the ER). Anyways, I digress - I took the next day off because I mentally snapped. There's only so much stress one person can handle at a time - add in the constant financial pressures, the "Will I make it to the next pay check?" anxiety, all the while living in the constant fear that if that car does hit you, if you do loose your job, if you get sick and wind up in the hospital, etc. you will totally loose your footing and be buried alive. It's no wonder the United States is living in fear - there's no security, especially if you're living paycheck to paycheck with less than $700 on your credit card as your life savings (or, even worse, none at all). If you find yourself in such a position, don't be afraid to ask for help. I know this is extremely tough for Aspies, especially for those, like me, who WILL be independent come hell or high water, but it is vital.

Food, too, is vital to our being - not only via the nutrition, but by its very essence. Food is soul. It is life. It is magic. Add a can of this, some spice of that, and a little protein and bam! you have a great meal (well, granted if you're not adding something gross like peanut butter, tomatoes, and garlic together - and, if so, good luck!). Whether you're following a recipe, reciting a recipe that you learned by rote at your mom's knee, or diverting off onto a unexplored path, food helps us to heal in so many ways. It brings together (and helps create) friends and family, new memories, and, at its very best, a new history [Did I tell you about that one time ...?]. At its very worst, it can destroy our bodies and feed our depression. At it's very best, it can make you smile, even sing, and brighten your day. Your food can communicate for you - as to who you are as a person, at the very essence of your core.

Okay, and I took two paragraphs - oopsie :) So, then, I will leave off with a pasta dish that, although it sounds very weird, will get your taste buds going "Ohh, this is good!" and your wallet humming with dollars saved, and a template on creating your own spaghetti sauce (just whatever you do, cook the noodles using the stove method and not the Crockpot - just . trust . me on this!).

Gluten-free or otherwise Green Olive Pasta Salad

Jar of green olives (or, your favorite olives)
Spicy brown mustard (or, your favorite kind)
Noodles (gluten-free or otherwise)

1.) Cook noodles according to package. Drain; set aside in a large bowl.
2.) Roughly chop olives
3.) Toss noodles, olives, and mustard.

You can also add veggies to this. Experiment!


Spaghetti Sauce Template

Roughly chopped veggies (bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic, whatever floats your boat - or just onion or none)
Two cans of tomato sauce
A can of diced basil/oregano/garlic tomatoes
Various spices: basil, pepper, salt, Mrs. Dash Italian stuff, parsley, bay leafs
Squirt of two of ketchup (as a single person who has yet to find a can of tomato paste that suits my individual serving size need, I just use regular ketchup)
Dash of sugar (i.e. no more than a teaspoon - you want a sauce, not desert!)
Ground turkey, sausage, beef, or chicken (optional)
Other good ideas to add, but optional: kidney beans, 1/4 cup of wine, Parmesan or other hard cheeses (NOT soft because it will glob up and look nasty).

Combine ingredients into a big pot. Season to taste (in other words, adjust the seasonings to your taste). Cook on medium heat until boiling. Cover the pot with lid and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 4-6 hours or until you can't stand the smell and serve over noodles or whatever floats your boat - enjoy! :)

What's your inspirational stories? What go-to dish keeps your head up high in troubled times (and, no, I'm not talking about the lock pick buried in the cake delivered to the prison ;-) )? What's your favorite food memory? Have a funny story to tell, a bad recipe to post? Do tell!

Until the next time, may your guinea pigs have many healthy years ahead of them!

If You're Lucky to be Irish - You're lucky enough!

Hello fellow readers :) It is now the fine month of March - not only is it the month of my birthday, but it's also the month of Saint Patrick's Day. Growing up Irish not only meant being instilled with the fine values of hard work and laughing much, but also wearing of the green on Saint Patrick's Day. As children, my brother and I were so hardcore in this tradition that we wore green to bed so neither one of us would be pinched in the morning (or, at least that's how I remember it!).

As an adult, I've taken things to a new level, culinary-wise. Last year, I tried my hand with corned beef. I might do that again this year if I'm able to chew (this lucky gal is getting much dental work done - I'm getting fit for a cap on Friday and then, hopefully, some cavities dealt with so I can chew on the other side!). If not, I will just put green dye in my mashed potatoes, have an extra mudslide, and call it a celebration :) Potatoes, of course, are an Irish staple. So are cabbage and Irish soda bread (which I make gluten free, courtesy of Gluten-Free Girl and the Chef), and Irish cheese. One of the most filling, inexpensive, and nutritious dishes I've been able to create as of yet is "Cabbage Stew", which at the request of a coworker I have posted below.

So, without further ado, Cabbage Stew!

4 quart or so crock pot.
1/2 head of cabbage, chopped into bite-size pieces [Whole Foods will chop a cabbage in half - just as the produce peeps; if using a crock pot larger than 4 quarts, you might need a whole cabbage].
1 cartoon of vegetable or chicken broth (I use low sodium)
1/2 pack of raw bacon (I use low sodium, uncured - for St. Patrick's day, I splurge and use Irish bacon).

Veggies
1 "stew pack" - or two turnips, 2-4 parsnips, 1-3 carrots, 1/2 an onion if using vegetable broth (or a whole onion if using chicken broth), two small potatoes (or one really big one) and whatever else veggies float your boat. All veggies need to be chopped in bite-sized pieces, but make sure they're big enough so as to not turn to mush in the crock pot!.

Herbs & Seasonings
Herbs to your liking - I use some dill and parsley (it comes in the stew pack). You can use these or whatever herbs float you're boat. You can used dried or the real deal.
Seasonings - a dash of pepper and a big heap of diced garlic works well. Sometimes I use some freshly ground mustard seed.

If I'm in the mood to go vegan, I'll toss in a can of kidney beans - kidney beans are also a lot cheaper than bacon. Or, you can do both - experiment!

Pour veggie or chicken broth into crock pot. Add herbs and seasonings. Taste and adjust according to your taste. Add cabbage, veggies, and bacon (yup, raw - it'll cook in the crock pot, no worries about deadly bacteria or germs!). Leave about 1/2 inch gap between the food and the lid - if you need to add some water or extra broth, feel free to do. Just be careful not to overfill - believe me, you don't want the stuff boiling all over the place! Turn on low, leave for work, and voila! Instant Irish dinner (well, except for the Irish soda bread - I haven't tried that in the crock pot ... yet).

Until the next time, May the road rise up to meet you. / May the wind always be at your back. / May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields. /And until we meet again, /May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

... and may your guinea pigs give you much joy :)

Can a person really survive on $25 a week?

I was reading this blog awhile back and I was 1.) chuckling [because I've done it before and some weeks, lived on even less] and 2.) wondering if they had access to a crockpot.

Yes, it is hard to live on $25 a week. However, there's four weeks in a month (give or take). So, that's $100. With a little planning, one can avoid eating the same thing every single day - granted, it will be meager, it won't be 5 star quality, and there will be times when you want to strangle your co-worker for bringing fast food into the work place, but it is possible to eat cheaply and still eat relatively healthy without starving (although if you had $50 bucks a week, you could get your five servings of fruit AND vegetables per day!).

With a bit of research, I learned about the Depression diet and figured out some good modern-day staples: peanut butter, rice, beans, cheese, eggs, frozen veggies (usually cheaper than produce and has more vitamins and good stuff than canned!), frozen fruit (or, canned fruit on sale), dried milk, sugar, flour, and avocados (for a healthier alternative fat). The cheapest meat today, depending on which sales you hit, can range from chicken to turkey (which is cheaper than hamburger!) - pork is often hit and miss (it's either cheap or it's not). An investment in a crockpot means you can purchase the really cheap, crappy beef and turn a tough hunk of meat into a chewable, edible, and moist hunk of meat :) Yes, there's also canned tuna - but I hate fish and, unless I am faced with ultimate starvation, refuse to eat it. It's just not good to my taste buds unless I can smother it in mayo and sweet relish (which would totally throw off my $100 budget unless I could get the stuff at a fast food restaurant - you know, those little packets filled with various chemicals and high fructose corn syrup? Ick!).

I'd have to go back to the Giant's to gather up some prices, but the basic idea is to get your fruit in the morning (orange juice - cheap if you go with store brand or even cheaper if you can pick up a sale on either store or name brand) with perhaps an egg and some toast (if you can afford the ingredients for gluten free bread - those who can eat store-bought bread do not know how lucky they are). Or, mix rice with sugar and reconstituted milk. Or, there's oatmeal or there's the brown rice puffs which can be picked up at Whole Foods for a buck and some change.

For lunch, grab some peanut butter and jelly. Or, pasta with canned tomatoes (Del Monte's getting pretty crafty with their salt-free tomatoes and if you watch the sales carefully, you can pick them up at Giant's for a buck a piece!). Snacks can be bananas (combine that with some peanut butter - mmmm!) or whatever fruit or veggies are on sale. Or tuna fish wrapped up in tortillas with whatever condiment you can borrow from the local fast food chain. Be creative (without breaking the law)!

Dinner? Simple rice and beans. Or whatever meat's on sale turned into a poor man's stew (meat, potatoes, onion, and carrots in water with may be a bay leaf tossed in if you have the extra money). Or cabbage stew (cabbage, whatever meats on sale, and one of those stew packages if you have the extra money or, if not, then a carrot and onion) and chicken stock (or just water if you're really broke). Garlic is a very cheap seasoning - I get those really big jars found in the international aisles for $2.70 on a bad day and $2 on sale. Various dried seasonings and spices can also be found in the international aisles (and, yup, that's the same aisles as the rice and beans in most grocery stores!) for about half the price of the McCormick spices in the baking aisle.

For desert, just throw some flour together with some sugar, oil, eggs and whatever else you have on hand and bam! Brownies (esp. if you have cocoa) or cake or pies [Need I remind anyone of Ritz "Apple" Pie?]. For those who are gluten-free, an investment in all-purpose gluten free mix is a good investment (bonus: with a jar of yeast, you'll have bread all month!). A little investment in some basic staples pays off in the long run!

With just a few simple ingredients, you can easily mix & match the above ingredients and create an endless option of meals for $100 a month. But, it does take a good dose of self-control (especially when the all important ice cream is on sale, sigh), time and dedication to cook at home and scrounge for sales and coupons. It's obviously easier to live as a single person than a family of four on $100 (duh) per month. It's difficult, but not impossible.

Who here tries to live cheaply? I'd love to hear your stories!

Until the next time, may your guineas bring a smile to your face and give you a reason for getting out of bed in the morning other than just to feed them!

Ka-ching!

Here's the cost of my first two meals:

Easy Chimichangas Thanks to the CrockPot

1 1/2 lb of meat: 5.59 [saved $2.81!] - used half ($2.80)
salt and pepper: free
1/2 cup of water: free
1 diced onion: free
3 heaps of minced garlic: $0.02
I can tomatoes and chiles: $1 – used half
I can diced tomatoes: $1 – used half
brown rice tortillas: 2.69
Avocado: $1
1/4 of Giant's salsa: $.50
1/2 can of olives: $0.75
Shredded Kraft's Mexican cheese (about 1/4 cup): $0.38
Sour cream: $1.22, 2 servings (4 tablespoons): $0.15
Total cost: $9.29 / 4 meals = $2.32

California Casserole

1 1/2 lb of meat: 5.59 [saved $2.81!] - used half ($2.80)
1/2 cup of water: free
1 diced onion: free
3 heaps of minced garlic: $0.02
I can tomatoes and chiles: $1 – used half ($0.50)
I can diced tomatoes: $1 – used half ($0.50)
Remaining Giant's salsa: $3.5
Remaining olives: $0.75
Remaining shredded Kraft's Mexican cheese (about 1/4 cup): $1.62 [I had a “buy $5 worth of Kraft products, get $1.00 off, so $1.62]
18 corn tortillas: $1.20
Festive Bean & Corn frozen veggies: $2.49
Total cost: $13.38 / 6 = $2.23

Turkey and Rice

Turkey: $4.99 [since I bought one, got one free - $2.50]
Brown rice: $0.65 [Got it from the bin @ Whole Foods)
pepper and salt: free
Chicken Stock: $1.99
Giant's brand (3 cheese) – 3/4 of package: $2.00 [$1.75]
3/4 of package of the pepper stir fry (Bird's Eye, frozen veggies): $2.39 [$2.00]
Frozen broccoli, Giant's brand: $2.50

Total: $11.39/6 = $1.90

Augratin Potatoes
Potatoes [I think I used about 3 lbs of potatoes for this gig, so I figured the price to be around 30 cents per pound ($3/10 lb), so $.90).
Chicken: $2.95 [I got one package for $5.89 and the second one ($5.04) for free. Minus 2 dollar coupon for buying meat and I got $1.95 per package!]
Kraft cheddar cheese: $2.99 [Had $1 coupon, so $1.99]
1 1/2 sticks of butter: $0.93
6 tbsp of gluten-free flour: $.40 [I use Namaste's Perfect Flour Blend]
2 tsp dried thyme: free
2 tsp salt: free
4 tsp of mustard: free
1 tsp black pepper: free
3 parsnips: $0.94
green onions: $0.99
1 pint of heavy whipping cream: $2.69
1/2 cup of Silk Creamer: $1.79 [$0.45]
1/4 of Pepper stir fry (Bird's Eye, frozen veggies): $0.59
Frozen broccoli, Safeway brand: $2.79 [So Giant's IS cheaper than Safeway!]
Green beans, Whole Foods brand: $1.79 [compared to the Bird's Eye green beans, which cost me a whopping $2.69!]
1/2 package of the Bird's Eye green beans: $1.35 [The other half was used for lunches, along with the 2.50 baby frozen carrots, which I could have picked up a $0.80 bag of fresh carrots and just steamed them and saved myself $1.70 ... sheesh!]
Total: $17.76/8 = $2.22

Chicken Enchilada Chili

Chicken: $1.95 [I got one package for $5.89 and the second one ($5.04) for free. Minus 2 dollar coupon for buying meat and I got $1.95 per package!]
1 and 1/4 cans of salt-free tomato sauce and other ingredients for gluten-free enchilada sauce: $1.80
2 cans of salt-free Del Monte's bell pepper, onion & celery: $2
1 cup of pinto beans: $2.30 [I threw in fifty cents for the olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and various spices]
1 onion: free
2 tsp of chili powder: free
1 tsp cumin: free

Total: $8.05/5 = $1.61

16 Bean Soup

Package of 16 bean soup: $1
1 onion: free
3 heaps of garlic: $0.02
2 tsp of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb [Or, one lid full]: I can't remember how much this cost me when I bought it and so I'll just $0.35.
1 can of Del Monte's diced tomatoes: $1
Water: free
Salt: free
Total: $2.37/5 = $0.47

Sloppy Joes

Turkey: $4.99 [since I bought one, got one free - $2.50]
Sloppy Joe Mix (various spices): Um ... I'll throw in $0.80. There was brown sugar, corn starch, and various spices - most of which are free - so I'll be generous and charge myself $0.80.]
Tomato paste: $0.50
1 cup of water: free

Total: $3.80/4 = $0.95

Note: Each one of the containers holds enough for two sandwiches. So that's like $0.48 per sandwich! I bake my own bread and I've never honestly tried to sit down and calculate how much it is per slice of bread... Anyone want to take a stab at it?

So, if we don't total in the cost of bread, the total cost of 34 meals is $66.04. Thanks to coupons and snagging good deals, I saved $12 on meat, $2 on cheese, $0.55 off of my soy milk and $.50 on my V-8 Splash (okay, so the V-8 and soy milk tech. doesn't count but whatever - it still adds up to $1.05 in savings!). KA-CHING!

Until the next time, may your guinea pigs sleep through the afternoon without a temper tantrum!

Chimichanga Heaven

Today is V-day. Day of hearts, the color pink, and pollen-ridden flowers. And oh-so-lovely chocolate, which almost makes up for the pink hearts and roses. Almost.

So, I was planning out my month-long meals by visiting good ol' 360 Crockpot blog and I decided on the following:

Easy Chimichangas Thanks to the Crockpot I wanted something tasty and something to break the meatloaf cycle - and this, as it turns out, was the most excellent idea!

Crockpot 16 Bean Soup Because I always need a bean recipe to get me through the month (and I had all the ingredients on hand)!

Chicken Enchilada Chili [Because I had most of the ingredients on hand and this sounded easier than making homemade enchiladas. For the enchilada sauce, I went to Gluten-free Goddess and borrowed her Quickie Enchilada Sauce, subbing one boring ol' can of salt-free tomato sauce for the 28 ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes.]

and

Potatoes Augratin [Because I found that Safeway had a weekend sale on potatoes - buy 10 lbs for $3!!! So, I had potatoes on hand.]

How did I make these decisions? I first thought of what I had in the kitchen (canned tomatoes, onions, beans, rice, etc.) and then planned on the rough draft of my shopping list. Since I don't trust processed enchilada sauce, I added "salt free tomato sauce" to my list [Whole Foods usually has a good deal on these], and other necessities (like cream for the potatoes augratin). Then, I was shopping at Safeway for a "tide me over until Sunday, when I can start creating my meals for the month" meal and I saw that ground turkey was on a "buy 1 get 1 free sale" [which gave me the idea to try my hand at making homemade sloppy joes] and then, poking around in the meat department for my chimichangas, I saw a most excellent price for the meat (I saved 2 dollars and some change for over a pound and a half of a beef roast!). To add to my excitement, Giant's had chicken on a "buy 1, get 1 free" deal for Perdue chicken. I then rounded out my meals with the basics: cheese, Giant's salsa, olives, corn tortillas, and frozen veggies (which, thanks to my short-circuited brain, I picked up two packages of green beans - do'gh!).

Since I had left over meat from the chimichangas (a few of the brown rice tortillas fell apart), I used the meat to make a Mexican lasagna - or California casserole as the recipe on the olive can read - and layered corn tortillas, the meat mixture, salsa, and cheese and topped the whole thing off with cheese and olives. I thus have 6 more meals for this month :)

More tomorrow - I'm doing a two-day cook instead of a one-day cook for this month because I really, really wanted chimichangas and I need the crockpot for three meals. Thanks goes to Uncle Sam and, additional thanks to a good deal at Target, I got a brand new 3 quart Crockpot for $14! Not only is it shiny and pretty, but it gives me more room in the kitchen to cook (and with less time)!

All in all, I spent $100 for a month's worth of dinners. That's $25 per week, or $3.57 per meal! I'll get back to you with the exact totals [because, this month, I saved the receipts ;-)].

Until my next post, may your oldest guinea pig give you his very first guinea kiss and may your youngest guinea pig wear himself out by doing laps in the kitchen!

Week 2: Beans, beans, the magical fruit ...

Hello my fellow readers!

I am back after a brief absence. It all started out with a flat-screen monitor falling on my hand while typing at work which left me only able to type for work for a good two weeks, rounded out to a nice distracting week in Florida for Christmas, mourning my step-grandpa who died the Monday after Christmas, and I'm just now coming back to freezing cold temperatures and snow. Ack!

And now ... a three month budgeting hell! PEPCO's being a jerk and charging me $245 for electricity - and I was gone for one of those weeks. Not only that, but they normally charge me $180 and, yes, that's with the heat on. And then I needed all the godly household goods, like toilet paper and Downy and body wash (which Target seems to be having some killer sales lately - even beating Walmart!). Which means I have about $300 to spend on food this month. Eeek.

With the Christmas "gifts" I got from a co-worker gluten-free pasta, a thing of 365 gluten-free bread mix, and some of Bob's Mighty Tasty breakfast stuff, I should be able to get through this month. Next month is a whole other ball park and to which I am not allowing myself to panic over just yet (February and March mean 80 hour checks, which are a pain in the neck simply because they're not 88 hour checks - blah!). Although these generous gifts stretch the budget, they're not food food.

That's where beans and rice come in handy. Giant's has been friendly and having either canned or frozen veggie sales each week (or, if I real lucky, both). So, this week I will write about how I'm freezing beans because Giant's has one pound bag of various beans for only one measly buck. Which means for 3 bucks, I can have enough beans to last me all month AND gas out my poor co-workers (sorry in advance!). Once I combine the generous gifts and my poor excuse for a food budget, then I will something worthy of two weeks worth of meals - and a non-hungry employee is a happy employee :)

Luckily for me, I have public television. Not only that, but I was bored one night and PBS had some Italian something or another cooking show on and it happened to be about beans (or some Italian soup with some beans). Anyhoo, I figured out how to properly soak and cook beans. Apparently, if you don't want your beans drying out during the cooking process, then you best soak them overnight (duh) in salt (dur - what?). I don't normally cook with salt and so I forgo the salt. Apparently, you can wash the salt off of the beans before cooking and, as long as you remember to not add any salt during the cooking process, you're good to go as far as the sodium content goes!

So, tonight, as I prepped the beef stew (I got the beef stew cubes for like $2.35 at Whole Foods but, anyway, more on that later!), I decided to get out my beans that I bought. To prep them:

1.) Spread your beans out on a cookie sheet (I use about half the bag, or one cup). Throw away any wrinkly or broken beans, stones, or other foreign objects that don't look like a bean.

2.) Place beans into a colander and rinse in warm water.

3.) I forgot the ratio of salt to water, so I got down my Kosher salt and added a tablespoon of salt to about two cups of water. I need to do more research on this, but, so far, it's working (knock on wood) and I will report the results upon after eating my beans. Dissolve salt in water.

4.) Place beans in salt bath. Let soak over night.

5.) Before cooking, rinse the beans really well. Add beans to Crockpot. Fill Crockpot with enough water to cover the beans.

6.) Cook on low for 8 hours or on high for four hours. Drain the beans. Either freeze or use in any recipe.

Or, just go to 365 Crockpot. She has a nifty picture and there's some good info on red kidney beans to be found. Which is a good thing, because I plan on making a batch of chili tomorrow! I'm also freezing some pintos (more on that later, too, so stay tuned!).

Until the next time, may your hibernating and your cranky, "I'm-Not-Sleepy-And-So-Not-Hibernating" guinea not fight!

Week 1: Little to Spend, Much to be Thankful for :)

In my very first post, I forgot a very important item that you all must have: a microwave! Unless you have microwaving powers (and please let me know if you do!), you will need a microwave to reheat your frozen meals. Unless, of course, you are re-heating frozen onion rings in the microwave - which I wouldn't do because onion rings turn to mush upon reheating in the microwave. Not that, of course, *I* would do this - no, not at all! *Whistling innocently* Some things are best left reheated in the good ol' fashioned STOVE, which is also one of those really neat and handy inventions that come in handy.

Any hoo ...

If it weren't for the magic tooth fairy dropping $40 bucks in my lap, the next two weeks of freezable meals would have consisted of beans and rice. But, thanks to the magic tooth fairy, I had $40 extra to spend on food :)

So, with that in mind, I set out to do my shopping, migraine/fatigue/rain, dreary weather or not!

I was going to make pepperoni AND Canadian bacon pizza "muffins", but because uncured meats cost a small arm and an ear, I crossed off pepperoni and just kept the Canadian bacon. I can share the pineapple between the sweet and sour chicken and the Canadian bacon pizza "muffins".

I also thought that the ground turkey was going to be $3 - apparently, I can't always read the Giant little sign thingies correctly because it rang up as $6. No biggie - I have learned my lesson and will make sure I stock up on cheaper meat next time. I scored .83 pounds of stew beef cubes for $2.50 and 1 1/2 pounds of summer pork ribs (boneless) for $3 and some odd change.

Now, I'm realizing, dear reader, that some of you reading this blog don't eat meat. No biggie - just do whatever you normally do instead of eating meat. I'm still working on my theory of whether or not I can freeze and re-heat tofu. As it stands, my theory is that although tofu might freeze very well, it might just turn to a rubbery eraser upon being reheated in the microwave. If any vegans or vegetarians out there in Internet Land know one way or the other, please let me know. In the meantime, if you're wanting to make pizza "muffins", just use veggies and whatever you normally use when you make pizza.

One note before starting: I'm gluten-free, so I use gluten free flours. I'm not sensitive to oatmeal as long as I keep it to a minimum and so I don't use gluten-free oatmeal (which is also very expensive and out of my budget range). If you are sensitive to oatmeal, by all means, use gluten-free oats. If you can eat gluten, use regular oatmeal AND regular flour. By all means, don't let me stop you!

Also, when I'm cooking, I tend to start with the prep. I then get the longer cooking things out of the way and simmering (beef cabbage stew, taco soup) and then move onto the lesser things. I make in turns because half of my stove is covered up by a cutting board, leaving me with two burners. With the back burner left to the simmer beef cabbage stew, that leaves me with just one burner. So, I back in batches. This also frees up much-needed bowls, pans, and pots. I start the meat loaf and turkey casserole at the same time, but, since the turkey casserole will finish first, I then set aside the meat part of it once the bowl is washed so I can wash out the pot and cook the noodles. I then combine every thing and stick it into the plastic containers. In the meantime, I mix up the pizza crust mix and let that "rise" while prepping the potatoes (by this time, the noodles are cooked and the pot can be cleaned and re-used). After the potatoes have cooled and have been mashed/roasted, I cut up the meatloaf, assemble my meals, and then add the frozen veggies (which helps to further cool the food). This then leaves the one burner free for the preparation of the chicken. Once the chicken for the sweet & sour is fried, I set that pan aside, cook the sauce in my smallest pot, and then quickly clean the pan so that the marinated chicken can be cooked. Around this time, the rice gets started and the stew/soup gets turned off so they can start cooling. Once the chicken and the rice is done, every thing is ready to be prepped so that it can be cooled for the freezer (confused yet?).

My two-week menu thus is going to look like this:

1.) Beef Cabbage Stew

2.) Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza "Muffins"

3.) Turkey Meatloaf and Turkey Casserole

4.) Taco Soup rice "burrito" bowls

5.) Pork Ribs

6.) Sweet & Sour Chicken and another chicken dish (it's the classic mystery dish - what it will be, no one knows!)

7.) BROWNIES (the magical romantic love story where my mouth meets chocolate).

Before you begin, you should have several clean, dry plastic containers. You want enough to cover all the food you're going to cook, yet not so many that you can't fit it all in the freezer - ideally, aim for two weeks worth of food. You should have also 4-5 hours set aside for cooking and a possible second day if you're planning on making both the stew and the 16 bean soup both in the crock pot. You should assemble all your ingredients, prep where you can, and clean up as you go.

Now, to begin ....

1.) Beef Cabbage Stew: Beef stew with potatoes, cabbage, and carrots (omit beef if you're not a vicious meat eater, like myself)

* Toss beef stew cubes with 1/4 cup of gluten-free flour (whatever you like), regular flour, or cornstarch. If you don't eat meat, skip this part and add a tablespoon of cornstarch mixed with some veggie broth. If you don't want thick stew, also skip this part.

* Chop up cabbage, potatoes, onion, and carrots. I bought one of those stew packets that also came with a parsnip and some herbs (score!). The idea is to use whatever what you like and whatever you can afford - I'm not your mother and thus I cannot make you eat your veggies!

* Dump beef, veggies, herbs (I always use one or two bay leaves, garlic, parsley, and dill as a general rule of thumb), and veggie stock or broth (or whatever floats your boat) into crock pot. If needed, add enough water to cover veggies. Stir and turn on low. Leave for the rest of the day (about 6 to 8 hours) - this will mark one meal for that night and then, upon cooling in the fridge over night, can be then transferred to plastic bowls and frozen.

Note: I can never manage to fit this stew into my crock pot, so I often wind up using the biggest pot I have, leaving it on the back burner all day on medium-high until it boils and then leaving it to simmer on low all day. I use a potato and an extra turnip, too, so I definitely need extra water so everything's nice and covered.

2.) Canadian Bacon and Pineapple Pizza "Muffins"

For this week's pizza dough, I'm using Ian's gluten-free pizza kit. Since they're discontinuing it at Whole Food's [ :( ], I stocked up a while back. Unfortunately, it's my last one which means I'll have to order more from Amazon's when I have some extra dough (no pun intended!) but, for now, I will happily mix the dough according to the instructions on the back and let the dough "rise" while I fashion the other meals ...

A note on pizza: If you can eat gluten, then use a regular pizza kit or make your own homemade dough and sauce. You don't have to do Canadian bacon and pineapple. I'm choosing to do so because that's what I'm currently craving. This is one project you can really get creative on and use whatever you're craving, have in the pantry, or can "borrow" from your parents and friends. AKA: use what you like and what you can afford. Just remember: mushrooms DO NOT freeze well and so it's best to leave these out. As for me, I'm using the sauce that comes in the kit (yeah, I could make my own, but that's one less step for me!), uncured Canadian bacon, mozzarella cheese, onions, bell pepper, and olives.

After the pizza dough "rises", I will make little patties out of 6 balls of dough. Once I have a big enough circle (about 4 inches in diameter), I pat mold them to one of the muffin tins, add some sauce, then add a pinch of mozzarella cheese, some olives, bell peppers, and chopped up Canadian ham. I then take the left over dough from the sides and kind of mold it to the top of the goodies, making a sort of "muffin". I like using muffin tins because working with gluten free pizza dough is tough. It tends to fall apart really easy because it's more like a really thick cake mix with some elasticity - so pizza pockets are sort of out of the question. When I'm making a regular pizza, I'm usually having to spread the dough out on to the pizza sheet.

However, if you're working with normal dough, then just form 6 medium little patties, roll them out into 4 inch diameter disks, smear some sauce on one half of each circle, add some goodies, and then fold them over and seal with a fork.

I let each of these little beauties cook at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes. You want them slightly underdone so they don't go all to whack later when it comes time to nuke them.

3.) Turkey meatloaf and Turkey casserole

From the lovely, but fictions, Betty Crocker, comes the turkey meatloaf:

* 1/2 the group turkey (or beef or chicken or pork or whatever floats your boat - just please don't tell me if it involves anything resembling road kill)
* 2 tablespoons of milk [I use Silk creamer because it's cheaper and I've found it works better when freezing mashed potatoes]
* 1/2 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce [Because I keep forgetting to pick this item up while grocery shopping, I use some of Mrs. Dash Spicy Teriyaki or Mesquite marinade with a 1 tsp of apple vinegar and cumin thrown in for some kick]
* 1/8 tsp (or pinch) of dried sage [Use fresh if you have it - I find the dried stuff works just as well, last longer, and is thus cheaper in the long run]
* Dash of salt AND pepper (or a really, really small pinch of salt and pepper, or a couple of quick turns of the pepper mill and salt mill)
* 1/8 tsp (or pinch) of mustard [dried or wet, doesn't matter]
* Garlic [How much depends upon your preference]
* 1 medium egg [or, if using egg substitute, half the amount called for one egg]
* 1/2 cup of plain oatmeal or one package of plain oatmeal [I don't use gluten-free oatmeal because a little bit of oatmeal doesn't bother me and I'm fairly tolerant; however, if you're not as tolerant or just feel more comfortable, by all means, use gluten-free oatmeal. SPECIAL NOTE: Bread, gluten-free or not, torn or in crumbs, makes meatloaf yucky. Trust me, stick to oatmeal!!!!]
* 1/2 half of an onion, chopped [Or omit if you hate, or are allergic, to onion]
* Ketchup or barbecue sauce or whatever floats your boat [Again, if it involves road kill, please leave me out of the discussion - thanks!]

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop one onion and set aside half for the meatloaf and half for the turkey casserole.

Except for the ketchup, mix all the ingredients for meatloaf together. Dump meatloaf into a cooking dish and smooth ketchup on top.

Cook the meatloaf for about 40 minutes. It's okay if it's a bit pink or whatever in the center because you're going to be eventually nuking the meatloaf and, if microwaves can kill nasty germs in wet sponges, it can kill any nasty germs in undercooked meatloaf. Since I hate being sued, please cook the meatloaf to your specifications. The whole point here is to not overcook the meatloaf because it will turn into a rubbery mess otherwise.

While meat loaf is cooking, chop bell pepper (setting aside some for the pizza "muffins"), cook noodles, and prepare to make Cheesy Hamburger Casserole (which I snagged from the Incredible Edible Gluten-Free Food for Kids cookbook):

* Remaining ground turkey or whatever you're using
* 1/2 cup each of chopped onion and bell pepper
* Garlic [However little or much you want. Remember: the more garlic you add, the more likely you're to keep vampires away. HA HA, I kid, I kid!]
* 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
* 1 1/2 tsp of dried basil [Fresh is better but dried also works]
* 1/2 can of diced tomatoes [I use the salt free kind and dash all thoughts of BP-whatever chemical induced danger out of mind. Canned tomatoes are cheap, so I buy canned. However, if you the money or prefer glass-canned tomatoes or fresh, go with the notion. At any rate, dump the remaining tomatoes in the taco soup.]
* 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese AND mozzarella
* 1/2 cup of milk [I find Silk Creamer works best for me - you can also use regular soymilk, goats milk, or whatever floats your boat.]
* 1 tsp ground pepper (optional)
* 1 tablespoon of sweet rice flour, white rice flour, or whatever flour your prefer
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese or gluten-free bread crumbs [I have Kraft Parmesan so I'm going with that]

While noodles are cooking (you want these al dente, meaning firm but not soft, so that you don't end up with a mushy product after re-heating; so, please do not over cook!), add ground meat, onion, bell pepper, and garlic to saute pan [I use the biggest pot I have so that I later dump the noodles in with room to spare, but use whatever you feel most comfortable using]. Saute. When meat is no longer looking raw and dangerous, add the parsley, the basil, tomatoes, cheeses, milk, ground pepper (if you're using it), and whatever flour you're using. Again, if you don't like onion or bell pepper or don't eat meat, just omit those items and add whatever veggies or protein you love. For example, I chop up some zucchini and toss that in at the last moment so it doesn't turn all mushy.

By now, the meatloaf should have come out of the oven and should be cooling ...

Add noodles to ground meat mixture for turkey casserole. Transfer to plastic containers and sprinkle Parmesan cheese or breadcrumbs on top. You're supposed to transfer the meat and noodle mixture to a casserole dish and then add Parmesan cheese on top and cook at 350 degree for 20 minutes but phft - that's the microwave's job!

4.) Taco Soup "Burrito" Bowls

Since the crock pot was now empty thanks to the over-sized beef cabbage stew, I halfed the recipe given below and dumped it all into my crock pot.

Taco Soup recipe is from the most awesome crock pot blogs "A Year of Slow Cooking". I have ate enough Taco Soup that it needed a re-invention or I literally wouldn't be able to eat another bite! So, thanks to $5 Dinner blog (Beef and Black Bean Burritos), I will just add some rice, some ground buffalo I found hiding in my freezer, and some shredded cheese. For that purpose, I will also need to use my rice cooker to cook up some rice (about 3 cups so that the sweet & sour chicken can have some rice, too!).

Note: I substitute Kernel Seasonings Ranch instead of the packet of ranch dressing mix - it's lower in salt and has less scarier chemical names (in fact, if memory serves me correctly, I can pronounce the majority of the names, whereas in the Ranch dressing mix, I just scratch my head, saw "Ewwwww" and place the packet back onto the shelf). To the best of my knowledge and research capabilities, only the White Cheddar and Jalapeno Kernel Seasonings aren't gluten free (Mom Knows it All: Kernel Seasons Popcorn Seasonings), but everything thing else is gluten-free and, since there's also no MSG added, Kernel Seasonings received an "A+" in my book.

For the taco seasoning, I make my own. It means less salt, no scary sounding chemical names, and no worries about gluten contamination. To make taco seasoning, I mix together the following: 1/2 tablespoon of chili powder, 1/8 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, and dried oregano, 1/4 tsp each of paprika and salt (or omit salt all together if you're on a low-sodium diet), 1/2 tsp of crushed black pepper, and 3/4 tsp (1/4 tsp and 1/2 tsp) of ground cumin.

For the taco soup, I usually substitute kidney beans for pinto beans because I can never remember to soak pinto beans the night before.

5.) Pork ribs: Dinner for Sunday and a few meals left over for good measure. This will definitively have to wait until tomorrow because I forgot to pick up a bottle of Mrs. Dash's Mesquite marinade while on my Safeway trip. Which means I will have to dig up my homemade barbecue sauce recipe and mix some up and leave it over night to mingle into tasty-lip-smacking-goodness.

Barbecue sauce:

Combine:

* 2 tbsp ketchup
* 4 tbsp honey
* 1 tbsp molasses
* 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
* 1/2 each tsp of mustard [I use this awesome spicy hot dijon mustard I found at Giants for a buck and some change], onion powder, cayenne pepper, and chili powder
* 1 tsp of garlic powder
* 1/4 tsp of ground pepper

If it's too thick, add some water.

6.) Sweet & Sour Chicken [And, if there's room in the freezer, a chicken meal thrown in for good measure.]

From the mysterious Betty Crocker, comes the recipe for Sweet & Sour Chicken. However, Ms. Crocker is up to crockery because the recipe is, in fact, hidden under the section "Pork". You can use pork, chicken, or whatever for this recipe - no need for my permission!

The short cut version of this recipe goes as follows:

* Heat some sort of oil in a pan (I use canola oil, but vegetable or olive oil also works just as well)

* Cut up chicken into cubes (I use three chicken tenderloins)

* Combine 1/4 cup of cornstarch/gluten-free flour, or flour with 1/4 cup of cold water (aka just the turn faucet on cold!), 1/2 tsp of salt (optional), and 1 egg (or 1/2 of egg substitute conversion)

* Toss chicken chunks in with the above mixture (not the hot oil - you're cooking with that!)

* Add coated chicken pieces one at a time to above heated oil. Allow to cook on one side for five minutes, then turn, and allow to cook for another five minutes. Drain on paper towels. I suppose you could also bake the chicken, but I'd rather just lightly fry it; it's my one chance in the two weeks to have just one meal fried!

* If you're using pineapple from the pizza "muffins", save the juice! Otherwise, you'll need pineapple juice. You'll need to add this to the following: 1/4 cup each of packed brown sugar and vinegar, 1/4 tsp of salt (optional), 1 tsp of gluten-free soy sauce, and garlic. Heat this mixture in a small pot until boiling.

* Mix 1 tbsp of cornstarch to 1 tbsp of cold water (from the faucet works fine). Stir this into above mixture. Allow to boil for one minute, until thick. Add remaining pineapple chucks (or about 1/2 cup). Cool.

Later, you'll add this to some rice and some chopped pepper or frozen stir fry veggies. Place cooled chicken pieces on top.

Since I had room for an extra chicken dish (score!), I marinated three chicken tenderloins with some apple vinegar, canola oil (about 1/4 cup of each), and a capful of Kernel Seasoning's Chili Lime (which is AWESOME!). After leaving it to marinade for 30 minutes while I prepped my other meals, I let the chicken cook on the stop top with a tablespoon or two of water (so the chicken wouldn't dry out), placed a lid over the pan, and let it cook for 15 minutes. I LOVE chicken that takes care of it itself!

7.) Brownies - because with desert, I'd just be stressed! For this, I let Betty Crocker do all the talking: my mom sent me "I Care About You" package and one of those goodies was one of the new gluten-free brownie mix from Betty Crocker. I'll add walnuts to the mix because adding walnuts to anything chocolate automatically makes it healthy for you (there's also a river in Egypt calling me, but too busy cooking at the moment!). I then cut up the brownies, have a quick taste-test to make sure they're good, wrap them up individual style in some plastic wrap, and dump all of these into a Ziplock plastic bag (one of those huge freezer bag kind). It also makes it easier if the brownies are cool before hand, but, sometimes the mouth - or freezer - can't wait!

Each meal includes rice, potatoes, or noodles and a heaping portion of veggies. In my librarian's mind, I'm thinking "rice OR (potato OR potatoes) OR ((gluten-free OR "gluten free") AND (noodles OR noodles)) AND (Vegetable OR Vegetables OR Veggie OR Veggie)". Luckily for me, my mad librarian skills come in handy for planning menus :)

I use the rice cooker to cook me up some rice because I have a tendency to over cook and burn rice. You, however, can make it on the stove or whatever you do when you cook rice. Add butter if you'd like (with the rice cooker, do that AFTER it cooks). I like my rice plain and so I don't add anything.

To make mashed potatoes, all you need to do is chop up some potatoes (I'm using red organic potatoes because that's what was cheapest), boil them until almost done (DO NOT OVER COOK - you want it under cooked so that it doesn't turn gross after reheating), drain, add milk or whatever you use [I highly recommend Silk creamer so you can still have edible mashed potatoes upon reheating], butter, salt, pepper, or whatever you want - get creative while still being on budget and sticking to your dietary needs - and then set aside to cool. Of course, you don't even have to do mashed potatoes. You can make roasted potatoes or use frozen or homemade frozen fries to your meals. Do whatever works for you and your taste buds!

I had some left over cheese, so I topped off my mashed potatoes with the left over cheese. I mashed three red potatoes and roasted three other red potatoes. I cut up three tbsp of unsalted butter and sprinkled the top of the potatoes with Mrs. Dash's Garlic and Herbs. So the potatoes wouldn't dry out while cooking (about an hour on 350 degrees), I add about 1/4 cup of water.

For all things cooling, I have my handy dandy card table. The table also comes in handy for when I'm assembling my frozen meals. Using the floor to hold the pots (after they've cooled so you don't trip over them and burn your foot), spread out your clean, dry plastic containers on the table. Arrange your meals in the plastic containers - I call this process "Mix & Match". For example, I'll lay out of the meatloaf, adding mashed potatoes to some, roasted potatoes to others, and a good portion of frozen veggies to all. Turkey casserole tends to stay by itself [for obvious reasons - it's a meal within itself]. The sweet and sour chicken gets rice and the optional chicken dish might get some rice or potatoes with veggies. Even though I accidentally made enough rice for an army, I had plenty of roasted potatoes, too, and so I added that to the mysterious chicken dish. The left over rice got stuck with the left over frozen stir fry frozen veggies - I'll later pick up some Tofu from the store and marry the two together.

At the last moment, if I still have some energy left over, I will make a few servings of rice pilaf: all I have to do is add some sesame seeds (it is, after all, the 40th anniversary of Sesame Street!), some of the frozen stir fry frozen veggies, some parsley, garlic power, and tumeric (since I don't have this spice, I just use ground dry mustard). Gently toss and add as a side! I didn't make rice pilaf this time because I don't really care for anything bothering my rice other than veggies.

To make the whole week further interesting, I'm also planning on making homemade gluten-free bread tomorrow.

Which means, before I begin anything, the kitchen must be cleaned, the dishes scrubbed and dried, and my prep table cleared off of the week's crap.

And then, I begin the process of cooking! I promise photos!

Until the next time, may your guinea pigs nap all afternoon!