Category Archives: Informative

Administrative, Finances, Healthy, Holidays, Informative

How to Deflect Wedding Questions

May 29, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

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?

Holidays, Informative

So You Just Got Engaged… Now What?

May 22, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Hey readers, in case you didn’t know, I just got married yesterday!

Yup, that’s right, I’m officially a M-R-S and off the market! Sorry frugal epicurious dudes. I’m in Tennessee right now, likely sleeping off a few too many celebratory glasses of wine.

But let’s start at the beginning…

I’ll tell you a story, your typical love story of guy-meets-girl and they become friends. Close friends. Like hang out every day, eat lunch together, celebrate good things, shoulder to cry on, soulmates without realizing it yet friends.

Everyone around them knows before they do, that they should be together. And then finally one day, they realize it. You may relate to this.

First date. (Laser tag). First kiss. Long talks. Long walks. Dinner, lunch, breakfast. First road trip. Facebook official (gasp!). First vacation together. Meet the parents.

Lots more dates and more trips and moving in together. Move together. Move again. And again. Get some dogs. And move yet again, except this time more than 1200 miles away.

Oh wait, that last part is probably just us, because we are crazy people.

Whatever your story is, whether you are high school sweethearts, aging young-at-heart geriatrics, divorcees, blind dates, met online, star crossed lovers, friends who decided to give love a shot, you now find yourself at that point of life of which romance movies, books, and songs are written: you are engaged.

Betrothed. Afianced.

Meaning… you two are going to be married!

So your lover has finally “popped the question” and you may or may not have a shiny object on a certain finger that rhymes with “thing”.

Which, by the way, if you don’t have a ring because of finances or other reasons, that is totally fine! Don’t buy into society’s hype that it isn’t real or official if there aren’t several hundred (or thousands, ugh) dollars adorning your left hand.

You two promising your love to each other and planning to set a date to make it official is all that truly matters.

Depending on how public or private your engagement was, you now have a few options.

Mostly, you will follow these steps:

Step 1: Decide who you want to know, and in what order

Step 2: Tell those people yourself, in person or on the phone

Step 3: Be prepared… for allllll the questions (oh and showing off that bling, if you have it!)

Step 4: Relax and Enjoy!

Budget Epicurean's engagement ring — Don’t worry, I know exactly how lucky I am. (EXTREMELY). Yes, it’s a family heirloom.

You need to decide how to spread your own news or social media will do it for you. Take control and tell those who matter the most first (probably mom & dad unless you want it to be held against you for all of time that they heard it from their cousin’s neighbor).

Go see them in person, everyone loves a surprise visit with good news, or call them and tell them. You will probably hear mixed reviews depending on the people’s opinions of this other person, such as “About time!” or “Why did you say yes??” but almost always “Congratulations!” and “So when’s the date?!?”.

Once you have each notified the family and friends most important to you, then you can turn to social media to notify the more peripheral circles of people you know and the world at large.

It is best to take several photos of the jewels involved and the two of you and decide together what ones you want to use.

Ladies: don’t worry about going out for a manicure, but make sure your nails are at least clean looking. No polish at all looks just fine. Cracked nails with bloody cuticles and dirt underneath, not so fine.

Once you have notified everyone, just sit back and enjoy this time!

Being engaged is a thrilling, exciting phase in life. People will try to push you into thinking ahead and immediately getting to the planning, but stand strong if that isn’t something you want right now.

I strongly recommend taking at least a few days or weeks to just be together. You will have plenty of time later to plan and think and stress out. Just enjoy each other and this first/next step you are taking on the road of life together.

How about you? Are you engaged? Did you take your time or rush right into planning? Tell me all about it below!

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]

SOURCES

Beverage, Breakfast, Healthy, Informative, Less than 5

Green Tea Matcha Latte

March 15, 2016 BudgetEpicurean 1 Comment

Now, I know matcha powder has been around in culinary circles for a long time, being used in everything from baked goods to ice cream to beverages. And it has been around long before that in Japan as a highly antioxidant-rich drink of choice. Matcha goes back many centuries in China and Japan, where it was first made as dehydrated and crushed bricks of tea leaves for storage and travel. Zen Bhuddists drank this tea in a ceremony prior to afternoon meditations, and found it enabled them greater clarity and sustained energy unlike anything before.

Powdered tea was made in very small batches, such that the expense meant only royalty could enjoy it. However, a new harvesting method soon enabled more efficient processing, and as the price became more affordable matcha became available to the public. By the 16th century, all levels of people took part it drinking tea and tea ceremonies to some extent. To learn more about how to make the perfect cup of matcha green tea, and for a brand review and comparison, check out this site.

Many claim matcha is a great replacement for coffee because it is so high in antioxidants, yet still packs quite a punch, as one teaspoon of matcha contains 70 mg of caffeine (approximately the equivalent of a half a cup of coffee, which typically contains about 160 mg). If you make or order a “koika” or “thick tea” this is made with twice the amount of matcha powder, and thus twice the caffeine content. A high quality matcha powder will be bright green, and smell earthy and complex. This is a fun drink to serve up for St. Patrick’s Day, or the day after when caffeine is maybe needed…

This recipe is a very simple one, which you could easily make at home, bleary eyed first thing in the morning. Which is great, because that is when I made it! I chose to use vanilla flavored milk, you could also use a vanilla bean or vanilla flavoring, or try something else like mint leaves or peppermint extract. Or you can leave your latte plain and savor the complex flavors of the matcha. I also used one medjool date as my sweetener, try agave nectar or pure maple syrup for something different.

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon quality matcha powder
1 medjool date, pitted
1/4 cup water
3/4 cup almond or soy milk
Optional: use flavored milk, or add the seeds from one vanilla bean or 1 tsp of vanilla flavoring

Step 1: Put the water in a small sauce pan with the cut up, pitted date and bring to a boil. This just softens the date in order to make it blend more easily. Pour the hot water into the blender and blend on high for 30-45 seconds.

Step 2: Add the milk to the sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Add the teaspoon of matcha to the blender.

Step 3: Add the hot milk, and blend together for 30-60 seconds to make it nice and frothy. You can of course whisk it instead, purists use a bamboo whisk, but I am far too lazy for that. 😉

Step 4: Pour into a mug, and enjoy! The blender makes a light, bubbly layer on top, and enables the incorporation of the date. It would be much harder to crush it up yourself, so if you are using a whisk you should probably use a different, liquid sweetener. This is best enjoyed immediately, still steaming from the stove.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:49]

Casseroles, Comfort food, Healthy, Holidays, Informative, Main Dishes

Irish Colcannon

March 13, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Happy <nearly> St. Patrick’s Day! Can you even believe it is already almost time! For me it seems like the year is flying by, as it usually does. The East Coast had a glimpse of spring and all its sunny, 60-degree glory, followed by chilly weather again. Those daydreams of warm soil, hot sunshine, and tiny green buds and leaves poking up bravely into the world are becoming closer and closer to real.

Whether you make this tonight, or use leftover potatoes and cabbage later, this is a delicious and filling meal that everyone will love, regardless of heritage.

Ingredients:

1 head of red or green cabbage
1.5-2 pounds potatoes
1 pound ground beef
1/2 stick butter (or 1/4 cup oil of choice)
1/2 cup milk (or water, or stock)
Salt & Pepper
Optional: 1/2 an onion, diced; garlic salt

Step 1: Dice the potatoes into cubes, you can use any kind. I leave the skins on because that is where the majority of the nutrients and minerals are found, but you could peel them. Cut out the hard core of the cabbage, and shred the head or cut into thin strips.

Step 2: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add the potatoes. Simmer for at least 25-30 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork.

Step 3: In a large covered pot, add the cut up cabbage with a few tbsp water or stock (or wine, or vinegar) and heat over medium heat for 10-20 minutes, until cabbage becomes soft and translucent. If using onions, add at this time too.

Step 4: In a large pan, brown the ground beef (or chicken, or turkey, or pork). Drain off the excess fats. You can use the same pan if you remove the cabbage. Add the cooked softened cabbage back in.

Step 5: Drain the potatoes, and mash it up to your desired consistency, whether totally smooth or with chunks. Add the butter and milk (or other liquids) and mix well.

Step 6: Add the mashed potatoes to the pot with cabbage and ground beef and mix well. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

That’s all there is to it! Three classic mainstays of Irish cooking, cabbage, potatoes, and meat, together in one happy marriage. Serve with gravy if desired. If you are clever about cooking order, you can make this all in one pot too. This makes a huge amount, so be sure you have plenty of people to share it with or will eat it over time. You can of course halve or quarter the recipe as needed.

Administrative, Informative

Budget Epicurean: Health Coaching

February 28, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Dear Readers,

Exciting news! The Budget Epicurean has been pursuing an Integrated Health Coach certificate through the Institute for Integrative Nutrition this past year, we are about halfway through. However, between online schooling, a new career move, and an upcoming wedding, my plate has been overflowing!

Down side is, I will have to cut back my blogging to once weekly for now. I will do my best to post the best material and/or recipes each week, on Sunday. Once the workload eases I may try to switch back to my 3-per-week posting schedule. But don’t fear, there is still a very large archive of fabulous BE stories and recipes to be perused at your leisure.

This site is a treasure trove of Vegetarian meal ideas, creative Beverages, Slow Cooker recipes, my signature “Less Than Five” section, and informative posts on a wide variety of topics. Search any term and see what you might find.

I am excited to announce that I am now offering Free Health History Consultations! This means you fill out a 2-3 page form, then email me and we can talk over the phone (or in person if you’re lucky enough to live in CT!) and see if Health Coaching is right for you. See my Health Coaching page for more info.

Just click on the form below most relevant to you, and save or print it. Then shoot me an email at BudgetEpicurean @ gmail .com and let me know you want to talk. I’ll contact you and we can go over the form together, to see if there is any area in your life where I can be of support and service.

Women’s Health History Form

Men’s Health History Form

Non-Gendered Health History Form

I can’t wait to help you achieve your healthiest, happiest you!

For questions or to request a FREE health history consultation, please email jenhealthcoaching@gmail.com.

Comfort food, Healthy, Informative, Main Dishes, Side dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian

Mixed Winter Vegetables

February 23, 2016 BudgetEpicurean Leave a comment

Towards the end of February, it seems like nothing will ever grow again, and a juicy summer tomato is but a dream. Most Americans just go to the supermarket and buy whatever exotic fruits or produce they are craving with no regards to whence it came, how many miles it has traveled, or how the nutrients have been degraded by early harvest and long travel time between dirt and plate.

I strongly encourage those yearning for the warmer days of spring where every corner bursts with greenery to make use of the oft-neglected seasonal produce. Try searching Local Harvest for farmers markets near you. Root crops store so well, while cold-tolerant crops are appearing in local markets. If you are lucky you may even have farmers with greenhouses or cold hoops that grow tender baby greens and lettuces.

Many people cannot name 5 produce items that are in season any time of the year other than mid-summer, and maybe not even then. During the coldest, bleakest times of winter it is especially hard to think of produce actually being able to withstand the harsh temperatures. But in New England, there are tons of vegetables that you can find for mere pennies at the local markets, including: carrots, fingerling potatoes, beets (red and gold), rutabaga, squash, parsnips, turnips, radishes, leeks, onions, Brussels sprouts, baby micro-greens, spinach, kale, collards, and mushrooms.

This recipe makes a large meal for one, or side dish for two. Feel free to mix up the vegetable content based on what you have available right now and what you like. But if you are wary of these produce types, just try one and see how you like it. You never know when you may fall in love with the sweetness of a golden beet, the carrot-like texture of parsnips, or the nuances of various radish strains.

Ingredients:

1 parsnip
1 leek
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves
2 green onion
1 small potato
3-4 small beets
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar

Step 1: Cut the tops and bottoms off of your produce, and dice into chunks or slices. Add the olive oil & lemon to a frying pan, and add all the vegetables. Cover tightly, and steam 5-10 minutes. Stir up the veggies, cover, and steam another 10 minutes or so. You want the heat low enough that it will slowly caramelize the sugars in the vegetables, not burn them.

Step 2: Sprinkle with salt & pepper to taste. Either serve alone or on the side with a meat and salad. I enjoyed mine with some roasted chicken, baby greens, and homemade sauerkraut on top. It is so simple, yet so wonderfully tasty!

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…

How about you? Are you engaged? Did you take your time or rush right into planning? Tell me all about it below!

The Benefits of Ginger

The fusion of food, fun, frugality, and curiosity.