Category Archives: Finances

Articles concerning finances. This is the “budget” Epicurean after all.

Breakfast, Finances, Healthy, Less than 5, Vegetarian

Chocolate peanut butter banana oatmeal

October 9, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Are you looking for a super quick breakfast recipe? A breakfast that takes less than 5 minutes to make, is packed full of protein, and costs less than $1? Can I get a HEALTH YEAH!

Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast staples, for so many reasons. Oats are full of fiber to keep you full all day, so you don’t get the early afternoon munchies. Oats also contain several micronutrients such as manganese, selenium, phosphorus, fiber, magnesium, and zinc.

And, not to mention, oats are dirt cheap! You can get a huge tub for like $5. Talk about affordable meals. Oh, and if you get the quick-cook kind, you just need a minute or two in the microwave and bam, you’re ready for the day.

All you have to do is keep these ingredients around the house, and you can whip up a super healthy breakfast for under a dollar in under 5 minutes. No more excuses for having just coffee in the morning, you can fill your belly all morning long with healthy whole foods with the push of a microwave button. You can even blend all the ingredients for a thick breakfast smoothie instead.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup oats
1/2 large banana
1 tsp cocoa powder
1 tbsp peanut butter
3/4 cup milk and/or water

Step 1: Cut or mash the banana in a bowl. Add the oats and cocoa powder (more if you really want it chocolatey!), and then add the water and/or milk. Add slightly more or less depending on the consistency you want.

Step 2: Microwave for 1 – 2 minutes, give it a good stir. Add more liquid if needed, or another sprinkle of cocoa on top. Breathe in the delicious cocoa smells, and dig in!

This is almost Elvis worthy. All it’s missing is some bacon to be a breakfast fit for the King. But that seems like a little bit too far… but if you want to try it out, rock it. And let me know how it goes!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:61]

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Finances, Healthy, Main Dishes, Pasta, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

Quick & Easy “Cheater” Pad Thai + Peanut Sauce

October 2, 2016 BudgetEpicurean 2 Comments

Sometimes you just want something different, but also cheap, and sorta healthy. Oh, and really easy to make. Sounds like so many recipes you know right? If you’re laughing like I was while writing that, you’re in the right place. Finding recipes that hit the “sweet spot” of the trifecta: price, time, health, is a tall order.

Luckily, this recipe is one of them!

Pad Thai is probably the most famous dish outside of Thailand, and for good reason. Thailand is snack in the middle of the indochina peninsula, with a tropical climate and a lot of ocean front property. (Which comes with a lot of hurricanes and water damage, so don’t jump on that time share just yet…) This warm climate and water access combines to create a very healthy ethnic cuisine based around coconut, fish, rice, chilies, tons of spices, and tropical fruits like lemons and limes.

Authentic Pad Thai involves homemade rice noodles, hours of stewing and many ingredients common on the mainland but sometimes difficult to find and/or pricey elsewhere. This recipe is for the “cheater” who loves the flavors of Thai but doesn’t want to shell out for take-out, or spend hours in the kitchen.

You can expand this recipe to include other protein sources like tofu, chicken, or shrimp. You can also add any fresh herbs like mint or cilantro or basil, or change up the vegetables to ones that you like. You can add chilies or Thai chili paste or Sriracha to get to your preferred level of spice.

This recipe is the simplest you can make it, multiply the ingredients by the number of people you want to feed. You can easily cook for one, or for twenty. Take this bare bones recipe, try it once or twice until you’re comfortable, then make it your own! And tell me all about it in the comments.

Ingredients (per person):

1/4 package rice or soba noodles (or linguini)
1/4 small cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, shredded
1 egg, scrambled or not
1 tbsp peanut butter (or other nut butter)
1 tbsp soy sauce and/or fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice or vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil / coconut oil
Optional: green onion, cilantro, sriracha, chopped cilantro, chilie slices, crushed peanuts, bean sprouts

Step 1: Cook the noodles according to the package, rinse and drain and set aside.

Step 2: Shred the carrot and cabbage, and add to a frying pan with a tbsp olive oil and/or stock. Cover and cook on low for 10-15 minutes, until cabbage is wilted and opaque.

Step 3: In a bowl, mix the peanut butter, soy sauce, and lime juice. Cook the egg as you like, whether you want it scrambled or with the yolk still dippy.

Step 4: Put some noodles on a plate, add a scoop of cooked veggies, and drizzle with the sauce. If you like, add optional toppings, and your egg. Enjoy!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:60]

How do you make this recipe yours?

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Administrative, Finances, Informative

How do you pick a wedding location?

June 12, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Just like when you are picking your wedding date, choosing a location should be something that you think about but not too hard, and in the end it just feels right.

People vary wildly in their ideas of the “ideal” wedding place, so you should first talk to the other party involved. Do one of you have a church you grew up in, that your parents were married in, that you just have to also get married in? Now is a good time to go over that. If you have always dreamed of a destination wedding on a sandy white beach, bring that up. Give yourselves some time and space to talk it out with no judgment (no, “oh my God, no way are we getting married in that old dump of a church!” or “How stupid, who wants to be married in a dusty barn!??” or “We could never afford Wai Ki-Ki are you crazy??”).

Be sure to also discuss all the elements of the location that may end up being important to you. Some suggestions (but by no means a comprehensive list):

Is there availability at your desired time?
Does the location offer wedding planning or services?
Are there hotels nearby for guests to stay in?
What is the weather like in the time of year you’re considering?
Will the location hold the amount of people you envision?
Do you need to account for things like chair or tent rental?
Where will you have the ceremony and the reception? Same place? Two places? How far apart are they?
Do you want a church?
Do you want it to be outdoors?
Do you want decorations of a specific type?
Will there be dancing? If so can you set up sound/dance floor?
Can you bring your own vendors?
Do you need any licenses/permits?
Is there a deposit or location fee?

For travel destinations, more things to consider include:

Do you need passports/other travel documents?
How will you arrange flights/trains/busses/etc?
Is it near where you’d like to honeymoon?
Is it near an airport?
Will you need to rent a car?
How many of your planned guests will likely show up?
What are the local laws about weddings?
How do you go about obtaining a marriage license?

Once you have a general idea as a couple of what you want and what you are willing to negotiate on, you can consider locations. Think about where you live now, where you grew up, where you went to college, where your parents grew up. For some people, this is a no brainer and they have known since childhood that a specific meaningful place would be the place they are married. For others it will not be so simple.

What matters most is to be true to yourselves as a team, a unit, your location should be somewhere you both will feel happy and at ease. If your partner gets nauseated at the thought of crowds and attention, you should probably not plan a 400-person blow out at the biggest chapel in town and a black tie reception. If your true love cannot stand sand in their hair or clothes, sorry but a beach wedding should be crossed off the potentials list.

If you get stuck, you can always try:

Asking around – you probably know tons of people who have planned or attended weddings. Ask your parents, grandparents, friends, coworkers, neighbors, the guy on the bus. Ask what weddings were memorable, in good ways and bad. Maybe they will mention something that lights a spark for you.
Make a list – each of you alone, make a list of places that make you happy. List random things too, like maybe you love lighthouses, or caves, or mountains, or mansions. You never know what will spark an idea. Then compare your lists and see if the light bulb comes on.
Google – the holder of all knowledge, Google is a wellspring of wedding location ideas. Beware here though, as wedding envy and overwhelm can easily sneak up on you as you browse front-page-worthy multi-thousands of dollars wedding settings. Always try to keep your dreams somewhat in the realm of reality.

At some point, you will narrow down your list. A few places should stand out as the most likely and most fitting. If you are able to, definitely go visit these places. Try to get a feel for the size of the space, what their amenities are (Is there a kitchen on site or will you have to bring in all your food already prepared? Do they have bathrooms and how many? A dance floor, music and speaker system? Can you bring in any vendors you want or is there a required vendor list to work off of?).

Always remember you do not have to commit to the first or second or twelfth place you see, until it feels right.

And just as in picking the time, at some point, you pick the place. You could argue pros and cons until the day you say “I do” but trust me, as long as your betrothed is at the front of the room waiting to say it back, you won’t care very much where that happens. Point, click, and trust that it will all work out.

Administrative, Finances, Healthy, Holidays, Informative

How to Deflect Wedding Questions

May 29, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Alright, so you just got engaged...

And you’re already exhausted by a deluge of questions. Why does it seem like every person on the planet needs to know RIGHT NOW what kind of flowers you’ll have, and the flavor of the cake, and which song will be playing at exactly 2:30 on the day of (which you have chosen already right?!?)

If just reading that paragraph made your heart rate double, you’re in a safe place, I understand you. The feelz bro.

The good news is, there are no rules.

Let me say that again so it sinks in: There Are No Rules.

That’s my life motto, but also the truth. Society, friends, and family all have ideas about what a wedding “should” be or is “supposed” to include. But that’s a load of horse pucky (as my grandma would say). The only things a wedding “has to have” is two people in love and ready to be together forever.

Do you have that? Then everything else is icing on the (figurative, or literal) cake. Don’t have that? Then all the Kardashian flower walls and billion dollar backdrops in the world won’t make you happy.

So, you’re at a family gathering, holiday, after work happy hour, or another wedding, and the inevitable questions of your own situation arise. Here’s a few suggestions on how to (politely) tell people to mind their own d**n business.

Have a prepared line: especially if you talk with your betrothed before hand, you can present a united front. Plan a phrase or two that can answer just about any question. Things such as: “we’re taking things slow”, “We are just enjoying being engaged right now”, “we’re considering all our options before making any decisions”, or “we will let people know once we decide on anything” all work well.
Answer the questions with a question: when Aunt Rose says “So have you picked a date yet?” you respond with “no, but do you have any suggestions for the best season for a wedding?” or “No, when was yours?” This redirects the spotlight to the question asker and may make them realize their inquiries aren’t welcome. But be cautious, as some people will take this as an opening to blab on forever about their own weddings, so use with caution.
Laugh it off: depending on the audience, you can make whatever the question into a joke. When a coworker asks when the date is, you could try something like “Hopefully before I start showing!” or “as soon as we win the lottery”. Delivered in the right tone and with a smile, this lets them know that you aren’t ready to discuss details and to calm it down without being openly rude.
Change the subject: You can either come prepared with a few topics to discuss, or go off-the-cuff as the situation arises. Most people love talking about themselves, so if they ask you something you don’t want to answer you can always redirect back to them. “Gee Tom, I hadn’t thought about what to do for the bachelor party yet, what did you do for yours?” or “I know you want grand-kids mom, but I’m not ready to live up to your reputation as a mom yet! Remember that time you…” Getting people talking about themselves or some topic they are interested in frees you from being the center of attention.
Be vague but pleasant: When someone inevitably brings up their roommate who is an awesome photographer, or their cousin who is an aspiring florist, you DO NOT want to immediately commit. Things can get awkward if you agree, and it turns out you hate their work, or don’t get along, or find a better deal elsewhere. Try something like: “Email/text me the info and I’ll take a look”, “It sounds lovely, let’s talk later”, or “I’m glad <insert person who did it> enjoyed that, but we are still looking around”.
Be cautious and use the sandwich rule: For those who don’t know, the “sandwich rule” is the best way to deliver a criticism, you sandwich it in between two compliments, like so: “compliment, criticism, compliment”. Try something like: “We are so happy you’re interested in being involved in our wedding planning Nana, but we don’t really like orange and purple together. Can you help us out with baking cookies for our reception table though, you are such a great chef!”

Everyone has opinions and questions, but as the classic song “Everybody’s Free” says: “Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it’s worth”.

Oh, and if anyone asks about how much the ring cost? Totally inappropriate, and you can brush it off with something like: “More than ten dollars, but less than a million”. You wouldn’t ask how much someone made last year, or how much is in their 401K right? Just don’t do that.

How about you, have you gotten any totally inappropriate questions? How do you handle it?

Appetizers, Finances, Healthy, Informative, Less than 5, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

Homemade Pickled Ginger

April 17, 2016 BudgetEpicurean 4 Comments

If you’re a sushi fan like me, you are familiar with the paper-thin, spicy yet sweet pickled ginger sushi usually comes with. If you want an authentic at-home sushi experience (you can even try making your own! It’s probably easier than you think), you could buy it in a jar. Or, for far less, you can make it yourself!

Ginger is a unique and strong flavor that is unmistakable and irreplaceable. Ginger is delicious in ale, beer, tea, stir fry… you get the picture. A few thin slices added to steamed veggies takes dinner from “meh” to “did you get this from a restaurant?”

A few slivers of ginger elevates a cup of plain green tea to something decadent and exotic. A few pieces of root or some ginger juice in soup adds layers of flavor and depth. And in good times and bad, ginger ale soothes and refreshes.

Not only does ginger taste delicious, it is also known to have hosts of health promoting effects on the body. From head to toe, ginger has seemingly magical properties to aid and ease all kinds of complaints.

From ancient times to modern homeopaths, midwives and housewives, ginger in fresh, powdered, or pill form is useful for many health purposes. Here are just a few:

The Benefits of Ginger

Anti-Nausea: Ginger is a known remedy for motion sickness, morning sickness, and any other sickness which makes you feel like you need a trash can, stat.
Cold & Flu Prevention: When you or a loved one starts to feel a little under the weather, some nice ginger tea may be just what the doctor ordered. Or at least, just the thing to keep you from needing to go to the doctor. This may also help with allergies!
Reduces Inflammation: Ginger is a known anti-inflammatory, and some studies show it may even be just as effective as NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) like aspirin & ibuprofen.
Strengthens Immunity: Ginger helps to stimulate your body’s immune system, to build up new cells and make you more able to resist microscopic invaders on a day to day basis. It also decreases bacterial infections in the stomach.
Prevents Cancer: Studies have shown that chemicals present in ginger help inhibit the growth of human colorectal cancer cells. It also induces cell death in ovarian cancer cells. Who knows what else this powerful plant can do!
Stimulates Appetite: If you haven’t been feeling hungry, try a piece of ginger 10-30 minutes before a meal. Ginger can help stimulate appetite and get your digestive juices flowing.
Assists Digestion/Absorption: Ginger has many healing properties all along the digestive tract, from stimulating digestive juices in the mouth, to the stomach, to the intestines. Ginger with a meal or in tea helps you get the most out of the nutrients in the foods.

The best news of all is that it is super easy to make your own pickled ginger and have it around all the time! Ginger keeps well in the refrigerator for a week or more, and even longer in the freezer. But if you pickle the ginger, you can store it for months in the fridge.

All you need is a nice big chunk of ginger root, some vinegar (rice vinegar is best, but honestly you can use just about any kind), and sugar. A tiny dash of salt helps too.

This recipe makes about one pint jar worth, feel free to multiply it for larger batches, or halve it for just a single meal’s worth.

Ingredients:

1 large fresh ginger root (about 8 oz)
1 cup vinegar (rice wine or apple cider are best)
1/2 – 3/4 cups white sugar
1 – 2 tsp sea salt
1/4 – 1/2 cup water to fill jar

Step 1: Peel the ginger using a sharp knife, butter knife, or a table spoon. (Honest, it works!) Using a mandoline or very sharp knife, slice the ginger as thinly as possible.

My mandoline, even on the thinnest setting, still sliced these super thick, so I won’t be eating these slices alone. Most likely they will get diced into stir fry or a strip or two tossed into a cup of tea.

Step 2: Pour the vinegar, sugar, salt, and water into a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Place the slices into a glass container (such as a canning jar, or clean pasta jar) and pour the hot liquid over, using a funnel if needed. Cap it tight, and let cool overnight.

And that’s all there is to it! Put the jar in the refrigerator, and let it sit for at least 2 hours, but the longer it sits the more pickled it will become. It also may turn pink over time, due to the enzymes in the ginger, this is nothing to be concerned about. Use more or less sugar and salt to your tastes, or experiment with the types of vinegar.

Let me know in what recipes you use your ginger!

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:51]

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Finances, Healthy, Less than 5, Main Dishes, Salads, Side dishes, Vegetarian

Mandarin-Cherry Tuna Salad

February 16, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

For a quick, healthy lunch, tuna salad is always a go-to. Pretty much all you need is a can or pouch of tuna and some lemon juice, but there are infinite ways you can spruce it up.

For example:

Add a chopped hard boiled egg
Toss in diced celery
Shred up some carrots
Add chunks of apple
Spoon in a few tbsp of relish
Hot sauce!

And many more options, as creative as your mind can dream up. This particular recipe came about because the baby oranges were on sale, and we needed to use some up before they dried out and became inedible. Oranges go great with tuna, but I wanted just a little bit more to round out the flavor. Dried cherries were just the thing. Feel free to use raisins or cranberries if that is what you have.

Ingredients:

1 can or pouch of tuna, drained
1 small orange (or 1/2 can mandarin orange slices)
1 tbsp dried cherries (or cranberries or raisins)
1 tbsp mayo or miracle whip
1 tsp lemon juice or cider vinegar
1-2 cups chopped greens, or a wrap, or 2 slices of bread

Step 1: Open and drain a can of tuna, mix in a bowl with the mayo and lemon juice. Add in the cherries.

Step 2: Either wrap it up, make it into a sandwich, or serve it over a salad, topped with the orange slices. Season to taste and enjoy!

Administrative, Finances, Healthy, Main Dishes, Review

January Pantry Challenge

January 31, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Wow, so February starts in just a few hours, 2016 is already 1/12th over! How are you all doing with those new years resolutions? Been to the gym every day, stuck to a calorie goal, finances in ship-shape, in fact taxes have already been filed? Yeah, me too.

Just kidding!

I don’t really do the resolution thing, because it is far too easy to set yourself up to fail. I am more a believer in long-term goals with short-term goals break down. By taking a big life goal, solidifying your reason for desiring it, and then breaking it down into smaller, easily achievable goals, you set yourself up for continual personal improvement. Plus you have the ability to look back and see what worked and what didn’t, and tweak or change your goals if your lifestyle and desires have changed.

This is the final post in a series of a challenge I set for myself Jan 1st, to cook out of my pantry/freezer and only spend $20 per week on fresh groceries. Below are the first three week’s summaries:

Week 1 Recap
Week 2 Recap
Week 3 Recap

This final week, I was surprised at how quickly this month had flown by. When I did my one grocery stop, it felt like more than enough. I think I have adjusted to fewer grocery store trips, which is likely a very good thing. Looking back at the past few weeks’ lists, I realized I still had 3 out of 4 kiwis in the refrigerator. I also had to throw out half the cucumber because it went to mush before I could slice & eat it. Other than that, I have done quite well with not buying too much or wasting produce.

Fruit/Veg	$11.96	Meats	$3.29
Celery 1lb	$2.49	2/3 lb ham	$3.29
Ginger root	$0.30	Dairy	$5.35
3lb oranges	$3.77	White cheese	$1.48
Bananas (8)	$1.35	Organic yogurt	$3.87
Avocados (2)	$2.00
Collard greens	$2.05	Total	$20.60

This week I got brave and bought a head of collards, because I know they are chock full of chlorophyll and good stuff. I chopped up a few leaves to toss into salads, some of the leaves got blended into a sauce for the gnocchi, leaves were added to soup, and one day for lunch I used the leaf as a wrap for tuna salad. I also ended up getting a small pack of ham and some white cheese to make sandwiches for my fiancee for lunch.

Jan 23 – Pork ribs & baked potato soup
Jan 24 – Leftover stuffed shells for lunch, pork chops, Spanish rice & salad
Jan 25 – Buffalo chicken sandwiches
Jan 26 – Butternut squash gnocchi
Jan 27 – Sausage, white bean, & collard greens soup
Jan 28 – Lasagna with spinach
Jan 29 – Leftover lasagna
Jan 30 – Leftover pizza, buffalo chicken on salad

AS for the budgeting part of the challenge, not counting the couple of times we had meals outside the home, the total I went over is: $3.30 + $2.34 + $1.08 + $0.60 = $7.32

Which means a total of $87.32 for all the “fresh” groceries the entire month of January. Not bad at all. I don’t think realistically I can keep that up for many more months beyond this, but it is a good illustration of how much having a stocked pantry can help, especially in case of a natural or financial emergency. Now I know that if something catastrophic were to happen, or the fiancee and/or I were to lose a job and we had to really tighten our belts, the pantry I normally keep can indeed see us through.

How about you, any resolutions or goals you are keeping, or struggling with? Feel free to share!

Beverage, Breakfast, Finances, Healthy, Informative

Homemade Salted Caramel Creamer

January 26, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

How many of you start your day off with a nice hot cup of coffee?

I know my hand is raised! Coffee in the morning is as natural as breathing at this point, and is one vice I will never give up. Yes, I know that caffeine is a drug, and it is possible to live without coffee, but honestly, … why? Kidding… sort of.

One of several items in my house that has come under scrutiny lately though, is my coffee creamer. I usually buy the store version of whatever flavor sounds good at the time or is on sale (french vanilla, hazelnut, mocha, peppermint…). But if you check out the ingredients list, you will find things like: high fructose corn syrup, palm oil, sugar, carrageenan, and tons of other substances I can’t spell or pronounce (and I’m a scientist).

Do I really want a cup or so of these things every week? Do I want polysorbitol whatever building up in my body? Do I know what the long-term effects of all these chemistry experiments (not to mention the cocktails of pesticides & hormones found in CAFO cows’ milk) are going to be?

NOPE.

The alternatives?

Stop using creamer & drink black coffee? HAHAHAHAHAHA… nope.

Make it myself? Challenge accepted.

I started with whole, organic milk*. Then I threw in some sugar (it has to be palatable, otherwise I could just use plain milk. But my palate is still just a little too young to fully appreciate the “coffee-ness” of coffee). A dash of vanilla and salt to draw out all the flavor, and we have a winner!

*Note: This is of course not a recipe for those who are lactose intolerant or trying to avoid dairy. I am experimenting with various non-dairy milks too, and if I create a winning recipe I will share it!

This took me approximately ten minutes, basically just long enough to caramelize the sugar. Then just mix it all up in a large jar (I use mason jars, but you could use any container, even an empty container from previous creamer) and you’re good to go for a few weeks. With a waaaay shorter, and completely pronounceable, ingredients list.

Ingredients:

1 cup heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1 cup sugar
2-3 tbsp water
1/2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp vanilla

Step 1: Add the sugar and water to a pan. Slowly bring it to just a simmer, and stir constantly for about 10 minutes. You don’t want the sugar to burn!

Step 2: As the sugar caramelizes, it will become thicker and opaque. Measure out the cream and vanilla, and slowly pour it into the pan while mixing constantly.

This creates a lovely caramel-like sauce.

Step 3: Pour the caramel into your jar and let it cool. If there is some lingering sugar in the pan, either add the milk and whisk until dissolved, or add a few tbsp water and whisk to dissolve. Pour the milk into the bottle as well.

Step 4: Add in a few tsp of salt, to taste, and shake it all up. Done!

Now all you have to do is pull this guy off the refrigerator door, shake it up once or twice, and add a few tbsp to your morning cuppa. It’s so delicious, you may be tempted to drink it straight from the jar… not that I’d know 😉

Enjoy your healthy, natural creamer! I will definitely be experimenting with more flavors in the future too.
Anyone have a favorite creamer recipe? Have you ever tried making your own creamer, or would you consider it?

Administrative, Finances, Informative, Main Dishes

Pantry Challenge – Week 3

January 24, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

So now we are in the home stretch of this challenge! Week 3 of January has come and gone, and I’m planning our final week of January and eating from the pantry. If you’re just tuning in and want the full scoop, check out these posts:

How it all started & Why
Week 1 Update
Week 2 Update

The only wrench in this week so far is the impending snow storm the East is getting this weekend. As I write this early Saturday, we already have a few inches of accumulated snow, with more on the way all weekend long. But I’m not worried. We have plenty of food still stocked in the freezer & pantry, including non-cook items like packaged salmon & tuna, granola bars, and pop-tarts (yeah, I still have a few boxes I bought on sale a while ago hanging out…)

To prepare for the snow storm, we also brought in three extra stacks of fire wood and piled it in a corner of the living room, found three flashlights and made sure there were new batteries, and have lots of water stored away, just in case. When it comes to Mother Nature, you just never know what she’s gonna throw at you.

This week, all I’ve bought at the grocery store includes:

Dairy		Fruit/Veg
Kefir (2)	5.28	Avocado	0.98
Half and half	3.98	Apples (3)	1.87
Ricotta cheese	3.47	Bananas (9)	0.86
Yogurt (8)	3.64	Oranges (2)	1
TOTAL	$21.08	Pears (2)	1.32

I’m just over my $20 limit, which is fine. All told, I’ve gone over each week, but by $3 or less each time. If this were an actual life-or-death financial situation, I would definitely not be buying as much fresh produce, or any at all. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice short-term nutrition until you are in a more stable financial place before you can add back in fresh produce and dairy. But I am lucky enough to have the resources to not worry if I go over my budget by a dollar or two, and am very thankful for that!

This past week’s menu included:

Jan 16 – Butternut squash macaroni & cheese for lunch, Olive Garden for date night dinner
Jan 17 – Black bean turkey burgers & fries, salad
Jan 18 – Chicken cacciatore
Jan 19 – Leftover burgers, asparagus, potatoes
Jan 20 – Burritos
Jan 21 – Stuffed shells, salad
Jan 22 – Leftover buffet

Breakfast was mostly oatmeal (steel cut oats, dried cranberries, cinnamon & water or nut milk) or toast & almond butter, and lunches were almost exclusively leftovers from dinner. One day I went and got lunch from a food truck at work, and one night we used a gift card from Christmas to go to Olive Garden for dinner. Both of those occasions ended up giving us enough leftovers for two more meals as well, so one time eating out = 3 meals total.

Overall, this challenge is not as challenging as I thought it might be, but that is likely because I’ve stocked up so thoroughly before now that I have too much excess. So I guess I’ve learned I need to either calm down on buying when there are deals (sad face) or have these challenges on a more regular basis, where I use up a good portion of pantry items before I buy more.

It is also teaching me to be more creative about leftovers. For example, I had a butternut squash that I had used for decoration for Halloween (yup, they last a looooong time) and also some cracker-sized cheddar cheese slices I’d bought on sale and we never used. Therefore, I naturally decided to make butternut squash mac & cheese. Even using only half the squash made a TON (there is still enough for another serving or two…) and I have half a cooked and mashed squash, to turn into soup, or butternut squash gnocchi this week!

Just looking in the fridge at what odds and ends are still hanging around can give you ideas about what to make that will cost you little to nothing extra for a whole new meal, so this is a big money-saver. And of course, if all else fails, make soup! Now with winter finally roaring to life, there’s nothing quite so warm and comforting as a hot bowl of soup. You can throw just about anything into a pot, add water and spices, and have a meal ready in 20 minutes flat.

Stay tuned for the final week!

Administrative, Finances, Healthy, Informative, Main Dishes

Pantry Challenge – Week 2

January 17, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

To read earlier posts on this challenge, why I’m doing it, and how the first week went, go here:

Welcome to 2016!
Pantry Eating Challenge – Week 1

This is week 2 update. Things are still going well. I have to fight the urge to go grocery shopping almost every day, which I know makes me a total weirdo. 🙂 I went to the store twice this week, once for bananas, and then again because we were almost out of milk, yogurt, kefir, and fresh vegetables. I still hadn’t used the asparagus I bought last week, but we went through milk faster than I thought we would.

What did I buy this week?

Dairy		Fruit/Veg
Yogurt	3.9	Bananas (8)	0.6
Kefir	8.37	Blueberries	1.49
Gallon milk	2.69	Can pineapple	0.99
		Spinach	1.49
		Org. bananas (6)	1.82
TOTAL	22.34	Cucumber	0.99

The first store trip was just for the organic bananas, and I picked up a cucumber as well because I knew I had a little bit of dill left from 2 weeks ago. Mixed with plain greek yogurt, it made an awesome topping for lemon pepper fish. The second trip was Thursday, and I absolutely love that ALDI is on the ball with healthy offerings! They now have many items from their own label which are gluten-free, organic, natural, etc. They offer some of the best prices around.

Yogurts and bananas are a staple we go through pretty quickly. The blueberries, to be honest, were an impulse buy because they were on sale and looked so good!! And they really were, totally worth it. Then the spinach was another staple item, and we were almost out of milk & kefir. The pineapple was another impulse, because it’s high in vitamin C and I anticipated making smoothies at some point. Or potentially another batch of cranberry sauce, because I still have about a pound of raw cranberries in my refrigerator.

The menu from this week included:

Jan 9 – Leftover seafood linguini
Jan 10 – Steak, rice, & steamed broccoli
Jan 11 – Lemon pepper breaded fish with cucumber dill yogurt and mashed potatoes
Jan 12 – Quinoa & red beans
Jan 13 – Beef roast, chopped potatoes & carrots, asparagus
Jan 14 – Shrimp fried rice
Jan 15 – Leftovers

Breakfasts included oatmeal with dried fruits & nuts, whole wheat English muffin with almond butter & jam, smoothies, or a fried egg sandwich on whole grain toast. The bread products were purchased on super sale a while ago and in the freezer, as were the beef roast, steaks, white fish, and shrimp. Potatoes can last for months at room temperature away from light, and carrots can last several months in the crisper. Even if they start growing eyes or hairs, they are still edible.

Quinoa is a very healthy seed, and a whole grain. I chose to use quinoa instead of white rice for the red beans, and it was a perfect match. The beef roast I pulled out of the freezer and thawed in the refrigerator a day before cooking. Fried rice is always a good choice, because you can add pretty much any vegetable ever, so it’s a good way to use up what’s about to expire and also you can spread out a smaller amount of meat to feed you several meals. I used a pound of shrimp here, and the bag I purchased was two pounds, so I still have one more pound of shrimp in the freezer.

You’ll also notice that I incorporate leftover nights often, as well as taking leftovers for lunch. I often make lots more than we need for one meal on purpose, because then I just pack it into single serve tupperware, and we have another meal just waiting to be heated up. This makes packing a lunch super easy, and on days when I don’t want to cook dinner, we already have several different options available from the past couple of days. Leftovers are an awesome way to cut down on the time spent cooking, as well as save yourself some money too.

Let’s see how this week goes! Halfway there…

Budget Epicurean

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