Simple Swaps for a Healthier Pantry

Gotta admit, tired mommy brain is making blogging difficult!! Here's something that is hopefully EASY - both to understand and to implement!!

Becoming healthier is a never-ending progression of baby steps. I have been committed to changing the way I eat/live for the better for 6 years now, without any major relapses, and I am still learning new things and being challenged in different areas almost EVERY DAY! One step at a time. Here are some ideas:

Simple Swaps for a Healthier Pantry

White sugar - Switch to raw honey, maple syrup, or molasses. I *do* use sucanat, but recognize that it is slightly processed and I wasn't there to watch the processing, so I'm taking a chance. Sucanat is crushed and dehydrated sugar cane, so the molasses, and therefore many nutrients, have been retained. Learn more at this Guide to Natural Sweeteners from Nourished Kitchen.

Canned Tuna - switch to canned salmon or sardines. Larger fish, like tuna, contain more mercury. Of course, fresh or frozen fish is better as almost all cans are lined with BPA, but we're talking about shelf-stable food at the moment.

Vegetable, corn, or canola oil - switch to olive, palm, and coconut oil, or ghee. Read much more in the series of posts on fats at Kitchen Stewardship.

White flour - use a soft whole wheat flour, or switch part or all of the flour to spelt, almond, or coconut "flour."

Sugary cereal - eat homemade granola, or oatmeal packets.

Canned beans - Skip the sodium and the BPA and just cook dry beans instead. Here's a video explanation of the quick soak method (from Striving Bean).

Conventional peanut butter - Most stores now sell "natural" peanut butter. Compare the ingredients on the label - regular store bought PB contains sugar and often hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils. "Natural" PB contains only peanuts and salt in most cases. Even better - make your own peanut butter!

There's a start for you! More ideas?

This post is linked to Real Food Wednesdays at Kelly the Kitchen Kop.

Works For me Wednesday: Use Magazines in Your Freezer

Once upon a time (a few months ago) I tossed a ziplock full of pureed cauliflower into my freezer without paying attention to where it landed. When I went to retrieve it a few weeks later I discovered that it had slipped between the rack and the freezer wall, and expanded as it froze. It was essentially wrapped around the rack and I had to work way harder than I'd like to admit to break it free.

Lesson learned: be intentional about the way I stack and arrange things in the freezer, even if I currently have plenty of room to spare.

I've heard ab0ut people arranging things like soups and sauces in ziplocks in a baking dish in the freezer to make them a better shape for stacking. Great idea, only I don't really have room for a baking dish in my tiny freezer-above-the-fridge. So here's my solution, a magazine:


The (purple) magazine keeps my (tomato bacon white bean) soup from moulding to the rack as it freezes and gives me a level, flat surface to freeze on so that later I can stack another zipock or two on top. :)

The bottom of my freezer is ridged to prevent things freezing flat to the bottom, but that poses the same problem as the rack so a magazine comes in handy. You could also use magazines to create a barrier between two or more ziplocks as they freeze to keep the condensation from making the bags stick together - especially if the food is still a bit warm.

Works for me! :)

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday at We Are That Family.

"My Husband Won't Eat Leftovers!"

I'm very blessed with an easy-going husband who is willing to try just about anything I put in front of him and would eat the same thing every day. I'll repeat that - I'm fully aware that this is a HUGE blessing! That being said, I hear from friends a lot that their husbands won't eat leftovers so they feel like they can't cook larger portions without food going to waste.

After talking with my husband and a few others I have some suggestions.

Don't assume that he is just being stubborn.

My husband just loves getting a reaction out of me. There are definitely times that he does things that I dislike just because he wants to see me agitated. He's a pretty rational human being most times though and there is usually a good (or at least logical) reason behind his preferences and the decisions he makes. Your husband is probably the same. He may not even know exactly why he doesn't like eating leftovers, so let him know you are hoping to save some money and want to figure out exactly how you can best do this while not making his life too much more difficult.

Questions to ask:

*What exactly do you dislike about leftovers? (taste, texture, inconvenience of reheating them, monotony, embarrassed to bring tupperware to work)

*If you could eat anything for lunch without having to worry about logistics or price, what would it be?

*If we figured out the exact (health, monetary) value would it change things?

Your husband may be very image-conscious and knows that everyone else at his office goes out, orders in, or eats a specific type of food. He may feel pressure to conform or set an example - especially if he is in a high profile position or a position of authority.

Ask for his help and input.

Once you've figured out why he doesn't want to eat leftovers, let him know what your ideal meal plan would be and ask for advice to achieve both your desires and his if possible. I don't mean a snarky "so what am I supposed to do then?" Ask him in a way that shows him that you value his opinion and problem solving skills. Also make sure you are really willing to compromise.

Things to try:

*Make extra large portions of things you know he loves, freeze them - serve later.

*Make the ingredients for your evening meal separately (the ground meat, veggies, and noodles for your pasta dish for instance), combine only what you need for that meal, and create new meals with the leftover individual ingredients (add eggs and make a frittata or quiche for later).

*Block out a time to make a batch of food especially for him and freeze it. My husband likes to bring breakfast burritos to work.

*Make the meals easy for him to prepare and consume in his work environment. My husband specifically mentioned that he often has multiple short breaks to grab things, but not often a long enough lunch to sit down and assemble a meal with lots of components. Maybe your husband needs a fork-free plan so that he can eat on the go?

Be willing to try a few systems out to figure what works.

After you've made tentative plans, make a plan B and let him know that you'd like to try this for a pre-determined amount of time or number of meals but that you are willing to change course if need be. He may be more willing to experiment if he's not afraid that you will resent him if it doesn't go well or that he has no alternative.

If all else fails, pull out (or create) that "Top 10 Reasons I Love My Husband" list and purpose to show him how much you care by letting him eat McDonalds. :)

One of my favorite cookbooks, Dining on a Dime, has an awesome index that lets you look up recipes by individual ingredients. The author also has some great articles written about using leftovers on her site that may help you.

What has worked for you? Do you have any suggestions to add to my list or resources to share with others?

Coupon Resources

An essential part of making the most of shopping to stock our pantry is using coupons. There are numerous blogs dedicated to helping you utilize paper coupons and save at specific stores. I don't get a newspaper so I use online coupons almost exclusively. Thought I'd take time today to pass along some of my favorite resources:

Couponing 101

Shopping With Coupons: A Beginners Guide to Saving - from Mommy Snacks

Basic Couponing 101 - from Family, Stamping and Food

Coupons:

Coupons.com

Cool Savings

Red Plum

Upromise Coupons

Printable Coupon Database (thanks Allison!)

Organic/Natural:

Organic Grocery Deals Forum

Mambosprouts

Health e Savers

Whole Foods

Blogs:

MommiesWithCents

Freebies4Mom

MoneySavingMom

Coupon Geek
Organic Deals and Coupons

And be sure to check the websites of your favorite companies/brands for their coupons and other promotions.

Save Money By Doing It Yourself

Unfortunately, eating well isn't always cheap. Cooking "from scratch" isn't always cheaper than buying processed, prepared foods - especially when you utilize sales and coupons. I am always frustrated to find that locally produced, fresh veggies cost more than salted veggies in a bpa-lined aluminum can do. Demand seems to compensate for transportation and productions costs in our current economy. Many of us are concerned about what implications that will have for our future and have turned to farmers markets and the likes to ease our conscience.

This is, however, a blog about how to cook with what you have on hand in your pantry. And even on the tightest budget, with only bare minimum ingredients, there's a lot we can do at home to save money and take back some of the responsibility of our own food production and consumption. Below are some ideas for cheap food items you may normally buy pre-made that you can actually make yourself.


I'll start off with yogurt because I've made this recently. I was AMAZED at how easy this is using a crock pot. Thank you Crock Pot Lady! It comes out a little thinner than the yogurt you buy in plastic containers at the store, but it's perfect for eating with granola or using in smoothies. The Crock Pot Lady has some tips for thickening it also.

I got a gigantic crock-pot full of yogurty-goodness that cost me only some time and a gallon of milk!

And of course, you can save money making your own granola, too! My husband hand I have never found a store-bought granola that we like as well as our own.



Yesterday I used some leftover pumpkin seeds in place of pine nuts (way cheaper) to make pesto, which usually costs a pretty penny pre-made. Try this recipe and substitute dry ingredients if you don't have the fresh ones needed.


Here are a few more links, let me know how it goes!

Bread

Dry Beans

Pizza Dough

Convenience Foods - pudding, sloppy joe mix, etc.

Sauce and Gravy

Seasonings and Dips - taco seasoning, pumpkin pie spice, etc.

Save Money Using Your Crockpot

Recycle Those Pumpkins!

I am so pleased with the response so far to my very first giveaway! Don't miss it - you still have almost two whole days to enter! I am loving all of the comments I'm receiving and thank you so much everyone for the great content suggestions! I understand now why people love doing giveaways - I want you *all* to win! :)

To keep you excited for the Dining on a Dime cookbook and all things frugal, here's another article by Tawra Kellam to enjoy! Stay tuned for more pumpkin recipes soon! 'Tis the season!

Recycle Those Pumpkins !

Peter Piper Picked a Profoundly Plump Pumpkin -- Now what does he do with it?

How to Roast a Pumpkin

You can only do this with a freshly carved pumpkin! Do not use on a pumpkin that has been carved and sitting out for several days.

To bake a fresh 6 to 7 pound pumpkin, halve the pumpkin crosswise and scoop out the seeds and strings. Place halves, hollow side down, in a large baking pan covered with aluminum foil and add a little water. Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 1 ½ to 2 hours or until fork-tender. Remove. When cool, scrape pulp from shells and puree, a little at time, in food processor or blender. Mix with a little salt.

To freeze pumpkin puree. Put 1-2 cups in freezer bags along with spices and use in pies. To use pumpkin puree for recipes: Line a strainer with a double layer of cheesecloth or a flour sack dish towel and let the pumpkin sit to drain out the extra moisture BEFORE cooking with it. Pumpkin is very moist, so in order for your recipe to come out correctly, you MUST strain it.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Boil seeds in water for 5 minutes. Drain well. Sprinkle with salt or seasoned salt. Place a thin layer on a cookie sheet. Bake at 250 degrees. Stir after 30 minutes. Bake ½-1 hour more or until crunchy.

*Squash seeds may also be used.

Pumpkin Smoothies

1/2 cup pumpkin 2 tsp. brown sugar
3/4 cup milk or vanilla yogurt 4 ice cubes
1/4 tsp. cinnamon whipped cream (optional)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg sprinkles (optional)

Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into 2-3 glasses. Serve with a small amount of whipped cream on top. You may also add orange sprinkles if you like. Serves 2-3.

Visit www.LivingOnADime.com in the press room for a text version of this article and recipes.

###

Tawra Kellam is the publisher of the website www.LivingOnADime.com and the author of Halloween On A Dime and the cookbook Dining On A Dime: Eat Better Spend Less.

Frighteningly Frugal Fun!

By Tawra Kellam of Living On a Dime.

The average American family spends over $100 per year on Halloween goodies. As your kids drag you through aisles full of ghosts and goblins, the scariest thing about Halloween is threatening to leave bite marks in your pocketbook. No wonder so many moms flee screaming from the store... It can be much less expensive and a lot more fun to devise your own chilling creations. Here are a few tips that you can use to stave off the greenback gremlins and exercise your creative muscle. It won’t hurt a bit! These and other free frugal tips are available at www.LivingOnADime.com.

Face Paint

1 tsp. corn starch 1/2 tsp. cold cream
1/2 tsp. water food coloring

Mix all ingredients together in an old muffin pan and you are ready to paint. This amount is for each color.

Fake blood- mix 2/3 cup white corn syrup, 1 tsp. red food coloring, 2-3 drops blue food coloring to darken and 1 squirt dish soap (helps blood to run well).

Deviled Eyeballs - Make deviled eggs. Then add a green olive with pimento in the center for an “eyeball”.

Bloody eyeballs- Boil cherry tomatoes 30 seconds. Allow to cool; then peel skin.

Radioactive Juice- mix equal parts Mountain Dew and blue Kool-Aid

Toxic Juice- Add some green food coloring to lemonade for a spooky color!

Brains- scramble eggs with some green, yellow and blue food coloring

Worms- Cut a hot dog in 1/8ths. Boil until they curl like worms.

Vomit- Salsa in a bowl.

Bloody Popcorn- Add red food color to melted butter and pour over popcorn.

Visit www.LivingOnADime.com in the press room for to get more free Halloween make-up and food recipes.

###

Tawra Kellam is the publisher of the website www.LivingOnADime.com and the author of Halloween On A Dime and the cookbook Dining On A Dime: Eat Better Spend Less.

***Don't forget to enter our drawing to win a copy of the Dining on a Dime ebook and a $20 gift card to Cooks.com! Click Here!

Pantry Tip #4

Storage of pantry goods part 1

Tight budget or no, who wants food to go bad before it can be consumed? Our dependence on refrigerators and the accessibility of foods in and out of season has meant that most of us have forgotten the art of food storage.

There are many aspects of food storage to explore - emergency"survival" storage, canning an drying at home, rotating stored goods on a schedule, and more. I hope to cover all of these over time as I learn about them myself. I have to admit that the books I've read so far about canning are intimidating. I just keep thinking about how I have *zero* space for something like that and how at this point, without a garden of my own, purchased canned goods are more practical (though vastly inferior). I *will* tackle that one eventually though.

Today I just want to cover some of the basics of effective food storage - things that will lengthen the shelf life of your pantry goods no matter the quantity or source.

Dedicated pantry space: setting aside an area, a cupboard, a shelf, or a closet, for pantry goods is important if your goal is to keep a stock of non-perishables. I'd encourage this for anyone no matter how small their budget as it allows for adding a variety of flavors to otherwise basic and "plain" ingredients. You want those ingredients to be easily accessible and organized, however, or you will forget to use them. No matter where you choose to store them, make sure the area is out of direct sunlight, cool, and fairly dry. Avoid the cupboards above the oven, or a shelf directly opposite a window. For accessibility, it's nice to use shelves rather than a cabinet with a door, but if your kitchen happens to be like mine - facing southeast with lost of windows - you may want to make that sacrifice to keep the temperature down. The best case scenario is a closet area off of the kitchen.

Containers: store opened packages of sugar, flour, rice, beans, noodles, cereal, etc. in airtight containers rather than in their original packaging. Not only will this keep your dry goods from going stale before you can use them, it makes an appealing visual display. If you use transparent plastic or glass containers, you'll be able to tell immediately where your desired ingredient is and how close you are to needing to restock.

For plastic containers, consider Tupperware Modular Mates, Click Clack Canisters, Lock 'n Lock, and then of course there's The Container Store.

Crate & Barrel has an excellent selection of plastic and alternatives as does World Market.

Expiration Dates: you may want to label containers with the date of purchase and/or the date of expiration in black marker on scotch tape so that they are visible (and removable for reusable containers). At the very least, go through every once in a while and check dates and throw away items that are bad, use items that are going to expire soon, and rearrange items if necessary so that the things that will go bad soonest are most accessible.

Here are some sites from around the web with guidelines as to how long pantry items stay fresh:

comprehensive list
Spices
Veggies

Pantry Tip #3

Evaporated, Powdered, and Condensed Milk

You'll very seldomly find milk in our refrigerator anymore. We love granola and every once in a while we'll make some (recipe coming!) and spring for milk, but we discovered that oatmeal (yes, this recipe is coming, too!) is cheaper and just as good for us so we have switched to that or eggs and toast most mornings.

At first, even though I hated having milk sour before we went through it all, I couldn't let go and stop buying it. What if I wanted to bake something that called for milk? Or wanted to make cream-of-something soup? Or needed some for my coffee or tea?

Somewhere along the line I had an aha! moment and picked up a box of non-fat powdered milk to have on hand. So cheap and lasts for so long!!! You can control the consistency to match your recipe by adding more or less water. And the best thing about it in my opinion is that it can be added to other dry ingredients to add water to at a later date. Like for instance in my homade instant oatmeal or in the cafe mocha mix that I often gift for Christmas.

I just recently started experimenting with evaporated and condensed milk too. What's the difference, you ask? Well, the short and simple answer is that condensed milk is sweet - used almost exclusively for baked goods. Evaporated milk, however, is almost as versitile as powdered milk. The rule of thumb is 1/2 evap. milk, 1/2 water to substitute the canned stuff for the real stuff in recipes. As Carnation's website says, it's "the creamier milk" and "the slimmer cream."

While I have to admit I'm not a fan of drinking any of the above substitutes, they are invaluable assets to your pantry and your wallet. Do you have any milk tips? Send 'em my way!

Emergency Substitutions

I am a terrible baker. Really. You'll see soon - my next entry will be about muffins!

I am the girl who decided to bake cookies for my highschool crush and had to make 3 dozen to get 10 that were edible. Just. Barely. Edible. I promise.

So I was very thankful when a kind lady friend gave me a list of emergency substitutions on a 3 X 5 notecard. Part of the reason I'm bad at baking is the same as the reason I'm great at cooking other things - I generally don't think things through ahead of time and have a hard time following the rules. Rules are important in baking.

Hope this list helps you more than it helped me while making these cookies tonight. No eggs! ah ha! I can use mayo! No Mayo! I can use corn starch and water!! oh... um... no corn starch. Well...

They are edible. Just barely.

1 1/2 tsp cornstarch	= 1 tbsp flour
1 cup whole milk	= 1/2 cup evaporated milk + 1/2 cup water or 1 cup reconstituted dry milk + 2 tsp butter
1 oz unsweetened choc.	= 3tbsp cocoa + 1 tbsp fat
1 cup honey	= 1 1/4 cup sugar + 1/4 cup liquid
1 cup corn syrup	= 1 cup granulated sugar + 1/4 cup liquid
1 1/2 cup powdered sugar	= 1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup brown sugar	= 1 cup granulated sugar + 2 tbsp molasses or dark corn starch
1 cup butter	= 1 cup vegetable oil + 2 tsp salt or 7/8 cup soy oil
1 cup oil	= 1 cup butter
1 cup sour cream	= 3/4 cup milk + 3 tbsp mayo or 3/4 cup cream cheese + 1/4 cup water
1 egg	= 2 tbsp mayo or 1 tsp cornstarch +3 tbsp water
If in baked goods use margerine or butter for up to 1/2 amt. shortening

How It All Adds Up

I will refer often to things I've learned from either the Dining on a Dime Cook Book or the authors' website Living on a Dime, so I thought I'd introduce you to them with a short article written by Tawra Kellem:


Simple Ways to Save $7,000

Many of us often feel overwhelmed by debt and don’t know how to start climbing out of it. For others it's a misconception that the more money you earn the easier it is to save. Tawra and Michael Kellam paid off $20,000 of credit card debt and medical bills in 5 years on an average income of $22,000 a year.

Here is how you can save over $7,000 in just one year cutting a few things from your grocery bill. They are painless, simple and add up over time. If you don't think that cutting out one bag of potato chips or one soda will make a difference, look at the numbers at the end of a year. If you’re trying to save so you can stay home with your kids, put a down payment on a house, pay off some credit card debt or just have some emergency money, here are 10 ways to do it without depriving yourself. The total annual savings (in parentheses) will amaze you! You can start with these tips from Living on a Dime.

By eliminating:
~One $2.00 bag of potato chips (You don’t have to cut out all chips, just 1 bag) from your grocery bill each week you can save $104.00 per year.
~Cut a weekly box of $4.00 cereal and it puts $208 in your pocket each year.
~If you eat out one less time each week at $30 a meal, you can save $1,560 annually
~Ordering one less delivered pizza at $20, can save you $1040 per year.
~Daily gourmet coffee at $2.50 per cup ($910)
~A daily liter of soda ($365)
~Snack cakes ($455)
~One less bottled water per day ($455)
~One cup less juice per person in a family of four ($546)
~3 lbs. less red meat a week ($390)
~Bringing your lunch instead of buying save $4.00 a day or $1040 a year.
By themselves, these efforts may seem small--but they add up to over $7,000 in savings in just one year.

Tawra Kellam is the publisher of the website Living on a Dime and the author of the cookbook Dining On A Dime: 1000 Money Saving Recipes and Tips.

Pantry Tip # 2

Cook with Dry Beans

Cheaper and better for you and in some cases able to be purchased in bulk! Still, I know many many people who shy away from them simply because they've never used them and aren't sure where to start. Here are some pointers compiled from here and there:

*Soak dry beans over night to speed up cooking time. For each pound (2 cups) dry-packaged beans, add 10 cups cold water to soak.

*Quick soak by adding 10 cups hot water for each pound beans; heat to boiling and let boil 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, cover and set aside for at least one hour before cooking.

*Discard the soaking water when preparing dry beans from scratch and rinse beans thoroughly before cooking them to prevent gas.

*Spice up beans while they cook. Seasonings such as garlic, onion, oregano, parsley orthyme can be added to the pot while beans are cooking. Add acidic ingredients, such as tomatoes, vinegar, wine or citrus juices, only at end of cooking, when the beans are tender.

*Add salt only after beans are cooked to tender. If added before, salt may cause bean skins to become impermeable, halting the tenderizing process.

*To test for doneness, bite-taste a few beans. They should be tender, but not overcooked. When cooling, keep beans in cooking liquid to prevent them from drying out.

***most of this info was taken from http://www.calorieking.com/recipes/recipe.php?recipeID=583***

Pantry Tip #1

Utilize Your Blender or Food Pocessor

Add variety and nutrition to your pulled-together pantry meals by trying some of these ideas:

*Blend 1/2 your prepared soup before adding it back to the pot and dishing it out for a "cream of" texture when there's no milk or cream to be had. Works best with veggie and bean soups - especially lentils!

*Puree canned veggies and add to most any recipe for extra flavor and vitamins without changing the texture too much. Try a drained, pureed can of mixed veggies in meatloaf or chili.

*Ice blended with canned fruit makes a refreshing Summer snack beverage

'Regular Joes' on food stamps

This article from USA Today sheds light on a problem we see firsthand here at Hillcrest: People are struggling to make ends meet and many who wouldn't have relied on others for food before are now turning to food stamps and food banks/pantries.

Good reason to stock your pantry and plant a garden this summer so that there's always something to pull together for dinner.