How to Cut a Watermelon Fast!

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Watermelons, canteloupes, and honeydew are in season around here.  You may have some in your garden, or find them at the farmer’s market or at a street corner vender.  I’ve seen some supermarket deals like a whole huge seedless watermelon for $2.99-$3.99.  That’s a great choice when feeding a crowd.  If you can’t eat a whole watermelon, put part of your cut watermelon in the blender, pour into posicle molds and freeze.  It is delicious and no sugar needed.

Here’s a quick video on my favorite method for cutting melons.  My sister-in-law Gena showed it to me, and her sister-in-law Chandra showed it to her.  Chandra is a chef and is amazing in the kitchen.

Jack Mackerel vs. Salmon

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I love Jack Mackerel.  It is half the price of Salmon with double the nutrition per serving.  Here’s a video for you on how to prepare a simple recipe and what to expect when you open the can.  It’s not very clear in the video but the ingredients are:

1 Can Jack Mackerel–$1.32

1 Sleeve Saltine Crackers $.25

2 Eggs–$.16

This feeds four people for $1.73 (or $.44 a serving!) and is loaded with protein. 

Recycled Popsicles

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When I was a young bride, there were a lot of useful things I threw away.  I didn’t realize they were useful.  I drained my canned vegetables and fruit right down the sink!  When we decided to get out of debt and tighten our belt, I looked at everything in a new way.  I save the vegetable broth as a base for soups, gravy, and for cooking rice and quinoa in.  And the fruit juice (or light syrup) I saved for ……

It’s interesting to see my old kitchen in this video!  It doesn’t seem so bad now that I’ve lived without anything for so many months, lol.  But you can sort of see the hole around and under the stove top which is one of the reasons we decided to gut the place and start over.  We just heard that our cabinets are in and we are making arrangements to pick them up Monday.  I’m still a little bewildered how Darren and I are going to assemble and install them ourselves.  But I have a drill and I’m willing to work—just tell me what to do!

It feels like it’s going to be a long time before everything is finished.  I’d like to use Ikea countertops because I love the look and the price!  But the nearest Ikea is 600 miles away and then I will still need to stain and waterproof them.  Plus cut a hole for the sink and install them.  At this point, I’m not sure how to do any of that, but not knowing how hasn’t stopped me from trying before :).

Ready for a Treat?

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How about some homemade raisin bread? (If you are gluten free, keep checking back. I’ve got some great stuff planned for you :).)

Whole grain raisin bread is a healthy and inexpensive breakfast or snack.

The Fresh Loaf, has the perfect post! It is complete with step by step pictures and directions.  I tested this recipe for you with 100% whole grain hard white wheat flour and it was great. (I weighed everything and used the same weight, not necessarily the same per cup.) The recipe calls for an unusually long second rise and I jumped the gun and baked it too early. It didn’t rise much after I put it in the oven. So my advice is to follow the directions exactly :).  One thing:  I had a hard time kneading in the raisins at the end.  They were flying out everywhere.  I wonder if it’s possible to add them when the dough is more wet?  I’ll try it next time.

Photo credit:  The Fresh Loaf (click the photo to go to the recipe.)

Homemade Granola

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Boxed cereal can be found on sale for as little as $1 a box or $.10 a serving. I buy it at those prices and use it as part of my low-budget plan and steer towards low sugar, high fiber types. (Like bran flakes, and toasted oat rings.) I read an article that suggested even the low sugar varieties of boxed cereal aren’t as healthy as we hope.

Homemade Granola, soaked in yogurt to release even more vitamins, is a tasty alternative.  I made my own version, which is still cooling and I can hardly keep my fingers out of the hot little bites.

Here’s the recipe I used:  But you might also check out these sites:  Seeking Faithfulness, Natural Health Information, Passionate Homemaking, Health Beings with Mom

6 cups rolled oats

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 cup plain skim yogurt

1/2 cup water

(Combine and soak overnight)

2 cups sunflower seeds

1 Tablespoon cinnamon

3/4 cup brown sugar

(Mix into the soaked mixture)

1/2 cup vegetable oil, 3/4 cup honey, 1 teaspoon salt (combine in a small saucepan and heat until well combined)  Pour over the oat mixture until well combined.

Spread granola into greased cookie sheets in a thin layer.  Mine took 3 small sheets.

Bake at 250 for 60 minutes, stirring and rotating pans after each 20 minutes interval.  Switch the pans one final time and turn the oven off.  Leave the pans in the oven as the oven cools down, or overnight.  Add 1-2 cups raisins or craisins if desired and store in a air tight container.

Tips to make granola inexpensive:

1.  Keep your ingredients simple.  The more things you add such as wheat germ, coconut, and other nut mixtures, the higher the cost.

2.  Use sunflower seeds in place of other nuts.

3.  Use honey instead of maple syrup.

4.  Buy your rolled oats at Aldi, from a food coop,  or from a bulk food store.

What’s for Dinner? Kabobs!

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It’s so easy to get in a rut.    If we ate Kabobs every day for dinner, they wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but for us it is such a rare treat that the kids gobbled them down, veggies and all.

We splurged a little on this treat with the grocery money we had leftover from last month.  It was still a LOT less than buying this kind of meal out.  I had the shrimp and turkey sausage in my freezer bought as loss leader items earler in the year.  We also used an onion (given to us after they had leftover food at a summer camp), colored peppers $2.99 for 3 at Aldi, fresh Mushrooms $1.29 for 8 oz, and a can of chunk pineapple ($.89 on sale.) 

We let the kids skewer their own and they chose to make them colorful even though they don’t normally eat these vegetables well. 


Bamboo skewers are inexpensive at Wal-mart or the grocery store. Be sure to soak them in water before putting the food on them. Normally it is recommended to soak for 4 hours or more, but we totally forgot and just soaked them for about 30 minutes. They got a little dark on the ends, but nothing caught fire.

We waited to season the kabobs until they were on our plates, and salt was all they needed.  Yum!

For side dishes, we had simple buttered noodles.  Just a pound of cooked egg noodles topped with 4 Tablespoons of butter and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and dried parsley.  The corn muffins were tasty and easy.  I’ll share the recipe tomorrow :).

With 6 you get Eggrolls

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Eggrolls! I love egg rolls, but they can be expensive either at a restaurant or from the frozen section at the Grocery Store. Eggrolls are easy and inexpensive to make at home. I prefer to make them ahead and then bake to rewarm for the meal. (It saves my nerves if I’m making stir fry to go with them.) You can triple this recipe and keep some in your freezer.

1 lb ground turkey (or chicken, pork or shrimp or any combo)
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 scant teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 package (12-16 oz) coleslaw mix (this is just shredded cabbage and carrots and often goes on sale between $.50 and $1 a bag.) (you can also add other chopped veggies like broccoli, onion, celery, mung bean sprouts etc, water chestnuts etc.  I just kept mine simple and fast.)
10 egg roll wraps (or click to make your own)

1 48oz container of oil

  1. Pour oil into an electric skillet set to 350 and put the lid on while it comes to temperature.
  2. Place turkey in a large skillet and sprinkle with soy sauce and spices.  Brown meat, breaking it up into small pieces.
  3. When meat is cooked add the coleslaw mix and cook and stir for 3 minutes or until the veggies are crisp tender.
  4. Place 1/10 of the mixture on an egg roll wrapper. Fold the sides in. Tuck the bottom up and wet the top of the wrapper with your finger dipped in water.  Roll the rest of the way up.
  5. Fry in hot oil (350 degrees) until golden brown, turning once.
  6. Remove with a large fork to paper towels to drain.

We’ve spritzed these with olive oil non-stick spray and baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes with good results.  They don’t have the same texture as fried egg rolls, but still yummy.  We’ve also skipped the wrapper and just eaten the filling.  It’s commonly known in the fitness community as “Eggroll in a Bowl.”   I’d love to try these in an air fryer.  If you have one, let me know how it goes!

What’s your favorite dish from a Chinese Restaurant?

Homemade Refried Beans: Frugal and Fabulous

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These refried beans are fat free, delicious and super easy!

2 lbs pinto beans, sorted (remove dirt clods and stones) and rinsed

12 cups water

1 Tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons of garlic powder (Or 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic.)

Place all ingredients in a large crock pot.  Cook on high for 3-4 hours.  Or cut recipe in half and place in a pressure cooker for 25 minutes on high pressure. If your pressure cooker can hold the whole thing without being more than 3/4 full, do the full recipe. Use a ladle to scoop half the cooked beans and liquid into a blender.  Puree until smooth.  Transfer beans to another dish and process the other half.  This freezes well, works great as a dip, is delicious just with a spoon, and great for any recipe calling for refried beans.  This makes about 15 cups of refried beans.

I ate mine with chips and with a spoon, then rolled some up with rice and cheese in flour tortillas and topped with hamburger mixed with salsa with a final layer of cheese for dinner.  These rice and bean enchiladas were delicious! And so easy.  You could easily make them vegetarian by leaving the hamburger out of the topping.  You could also substitute tomato sauce with chili powder, canned tomatoes with green chilies, or enchilada sauce for the topping.

 

Try a recipe from the new book

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These sandwiches are so delicious it will taste like someone slaved all day, but they are so easy you are going to love it!  Beef roasts are on sale for $1.99 a lb this week and go for less occasionally.  So whether you grab one fresh or dig one out of your freezer, put these on the menu. You can click on the page from the book to see a larger view.

 

Use Your Slow Cooker and Save

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Save time, money, and energy by using your slow cooker.  I have always loved the idea of the slow cooker.  Put the ingredients in early in the morning and serve it up at dinner time.  It’s easy and doesn’t heat up the kitchen.  But most of the slow cooker recipes I have found include ingredients I see as junk food.  I’m talking about cream of mushroom soup, processed cheese, and commercial seasoning mixes.  I have spent the last two years developing and tweaking 31 slow-cooker recipes that can be made from all natural foods, whole grains, and require a minimum of prep time.  For the most part you won’t have to precook pasta or pre-soak dry beans and the results will still be fabulous. 

Here’s a list of the recipes included in the e-book:

  Lazy Day Lasagna, Chalupa, Spinach Chicken Alfredo, Teriyaki Pork Chops and Brown Rice, Speedy Spaghetti, Pigs in a Blanket, Marvelous Meatballs, Melt in your mouth beef sandwiches, Chock full of veggies meatloaf, Creamy chicken and rice, Beef Topped Bean Enchiladas, Beef and Barley Stew, Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Twice Baked Potatoes, Savory Baked Chicken, Rojo De Pollo Enchiladas, Cheesy Ham and Potato Bake, Beef Pot Pie, Easy Oil Pie Crust, Frittata, Beef and Bean Chili, Sunday Afternoon Pot Roast, Hearty Burritos, Smoked Sausage Beans and Rice, Beef Stroganoff, Lemon Chicken Sandwiches, Tuna Casserole, Shepherds Pie, Upside Down Quiche, Stuffed Peppers, Baked BBQ chicken, and Southwest Lasagna.

You will also get a list of slow cooker tips to help you make the most of natural cooking in the slow cooker.  And most recipes feature a full color photo with serving ideas. 

In addition, I carefully placed the order of the recipes in the book, so that if you cook them in order, you can use leftovers from one night to make the next night’s meal go faster.  For example, leftover chicken from Savory Baked Chicken is used to make Rojo De Pollo Enchiladas the next night.  And chicken broth from Lemon Chicken Sandwiches is used to make Tuna Casserole the next night.

If you choose to, you can follow the recipes in the e-book in order and have your entire month’s menu in the crock-pot!  The best part is, the book is only $3.00, will be instantly emailed to you,  and your purchase helps keep the Grocery Shrink going.

$3.00

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Here are some photos to tempt you :).

Click here to  purchase your book here and it will be instantly emailed to you!