Storing Leftovers
My compost pile loves our veggie and fruit scraps, but I hate to throw away food that we should have eaten. Honestly, it feels like I’m just throwing money right into the garbage bin. Gomestic has some good tips on how to properly store food so that it lasts longer.
I’ll admit that I have a hard time eating leftovers for days. I often freeze a portion of our meals so that I can bring it out a week or two later and it seems like new. I label almost everything that goes into the freezer so that I can use things in a timely fashion. I also rotate leftovers in the fridge so that the first thing in there works out to be the first thing used up.
Spending Too Much on the Grocery Budget?
We’ve been overspending on our grocery budget lately, so I was surfing around, looking for some inspiration. Get Rich Slowly has an article about (one person) eating on $15 per week. It has some good tips: eat up all your leftovers, eat in-season produce, and avoid junk food and pre-cooked food. I also found the Hillbilly Housewife’s $45 emergency menu for 4-6 people for one week.
I am determined to be better about planning my meals for the week and only grocery shopping 1-2 times per week. For me, that is the key. If I go every day (and without a list), I tend to spend more and buy impulse items that we really don’t need.
Easy to Make Energy Bar - Logan Bread
My dad loved the outdoors and we always took at least one backpacking trip and many camping trips during the summer. He was a teacher, so we had all summer long to go on family trips. One of our favorite backpacking foods was Logan Bread (named for Mt. Logan in the Yukon). This dense, delicious bread that we ate for breakfast kept us full all morning, even while hiking!
Recently, The Man asked for some sort of snack to take to work that would be similar to a protein bar and I decided to resurrect the Logan Bread of my youth. Sadly, dad no longer has the recipe, but I managed to find a good one at Allrecipes.com.
You can substitute different types of dried fruit for the raisins and I generally use chopped walnuts instead of sunflower seeds. You can also substitute 1/2 to 1 cup of soy flour for some of the whole wheat and white flour to add protein. The Boy loves this bread, as do The Man and I. I bake it once every two weeks or so, cut it into bars and keep them in the fridge or freezer.
This has been a yummy, inexpensive substitute for protein bars for The Man and a tasty way to start the day for all of us!
Garden Tips
If you are interested in starting your own little veggie garden plot, here are a few tips.
1. Find a spot that is suitable to your needs. For example: sunny, away from animals, etc.
2. Check the pH balance of your soil and compare it to the needs of your proposed veggies. Most seed packets have the necessary pH information. Add compost or potting soil to your growing area if needed.
3. Consider building a grow box lined with chicken wire. Especially if you live in gopher-prone areas.
4. Purchase seeds from a reliable source. Try to buy heirloom or non-genetically-modified seeds.
5. Set your seeds out in seedling trays. Grow veggies that are appropriate for your current climate/season.
6. Water your seed faithfully.
7. Transplant to your garden area when seedlings have at least two sets of leaves. Maybe more.
8. Continue to water and check for troublesome weeds daily if you can.
9. Harvest when ripe and enjoy!
Super Baby Food
As a single-income family on a tight budget, we made most of our own baby food when The Boy first started eating solid foods. Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron was my food bible for a good year and a half. I still use it, although not as frequently and I’m sure I’ll return to it if The Boy ever gets A Sibling.
This book is chock-full of information on feeding infants and toddlers. There are recipes, food storage tips, health and safety tips and homemade craft ideas. There is a month-by-month guide to foods that could be introduced to your baby along with tips on how to prepare and store these foods at home. There are over 350 nutritious and delicious recipes for your baby and toddler. Who knew that I could whip up a batch of homemade crackers just like that?
I felt lost and confused when it came to feeding The Boy as he began to start on solids. This book really helped me plan out what foods to introduce and when. It also gave me some great ideas on how to store these foods. (In ice cube trays - you must read about that!) I highly recommend this book for any parent who wants to save money (and the environment - fewer plastic and glass containers) when it comes to feeding your baby. You will also know exactly what is going into your baby’s tummy. No extra preservatives or sugars.
The book is reasonably priced for the amount of information it contains. I was lucky enough to find it at a used book store for about half it’s new price. Remember to check out your library book sales, yard sales and online book trading/buying sites for cheaper books.
Sowing the Seeds of Heirloom Crops
If you have started a little garden in order to cut down on the food bill, your next step could be to start growing and savings the seeds from heirloom crops. This can be a great way to keep plant diversity thriving and also teach your children great lessons about plants!
Since most food grown today has terminator genes in them or are patented you cannot use the seeds from one year to the next. So check out SeedSavers.org and see if planting heirloom crops is for you.
Eating Locally Grown Foods
Now that you have settled into your single income family routine and have your meals and grocery buying down, you should consider how to increase the health factor in your food.
One way to do this is to buy and eat locally grown foods. Although this will exclude strawberries in December, it can be a great plus for your family’s health and the environment.
So what exactly does it mean to eat locally, and what are the benefits? I mean, we’ve all seen farmer’s markets, perused their offerings and even occasionally indulged in some of their maple syrup candy and apple cider but what does eating locally really translate to?
Read more about Why You Should Eat Locally.
Juice Box Drinking Tips
I find little juice boxes to be quite annoying. Here are some strategies I employ to reduce the annoyance factor.
1. Take the first sip. If you hand a full juice box to a toddler, chances are that they will squeeze it just a tad too hard and there will be juice all over the place. If you have a clean freak child like I do, then you know that juice all over the clothes does not go over very well.
2. Replace the tiny straw with a normal-sized straw. The tiny straws that come with most juice boxes don’t actually reach the bottom of the box. I find this to be very wasteful - why am I buying the darn things if the kids can’t access all the juice?!? Also, the bigger straws are more sturdy in the hole and are less likely to be pulled out “accidentally.”
3. Drink it outside or at the table. I don’t want juice all over my couch or carpet thank you!
Destination Dinners as a Gift
I recently attended a bridal shower where the bride-to-be received a Destination Dinner as a gift. What an amazing and unique gift!
Destination Dinners was established as a California company in 2005 by Lisa Diamond, a self proclaimed “culinary adventurer”. Each kit is designed to provide a delicious, authentic dish for four, coupled with fun and educational facts about the food, etiquette and culture of each destination.
Destination Dinners is perfect for travelers, foodies, and people curious about cultures from around the globe. Designed as a gift, yet affordable enough to buy for yourself, the kits are customizable to meet the needs of both consumer and corporate customers.
Of course I had to check out the website to see how pricey they are because I want to give them as gifts in the future. The current price is $20.00 per kit plus shipping. Each kit serves 4-6 people and comes with detailed instructions, the more unusual ingredients, a shopping list for the common/perishable ingredients, trivia and more. It seems like a great, reasonably priced item that would make an excellent gift.
What the World Eats
Here is a great photo gallery about what different families eat around the world. From a few dollars a week to $500 a week, you can put your eating habits in perspective.
Our single income family eating budget is $350/month in case you want to see where we fit in. I was surprised at how most of the families spend more than that in a month.
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