Monday Message - Frugal Meals

My favorite chili.

Provident living: The crochet granny square class was moved to Feb. 18 at 9:30 a.m. at the Shook's. Bring a hook size G or something close to it and two colors of cheap yarn you might have.

 

Be prepared in all things against the day when tribulations and desolations are sent forth upon the wicked" (Doctrine and Covenants 29:8 ) 

"We encourage you to follow this counsel with the assurance that a people prepared through obedience to the commandments of God need not fear" (First Presidency letter, 24 June 1988). 

 

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1980/10/prepare-for-the-days-of-tribulation?lang=eng this is a good one to reread.

 

I have been pondering different things one needs to know how to do and what I myself can do and learn more to assist my family. Think about your family, what would you do if your income stopped this week? What would you do? What would you feel like? You have to crash learn things, that adds to the stress of the moments. What if you cannot find work? What if your storage had to carry you along, what would you eat? What is in your storage if you stored what you normally eat? No problem for a time and what if you did not? Will you look at things that you owe money on with disdain and that you had not gotten it. Things like this will run through your mind.

 

I have been pondering, though I plan to put together a more helpful cookbook so I do not have to look in three locations for a recipe. I will make it a back to basics cookbook, put my favorite yogurt recipe in it and then behind the yogurt, things I normally make with it. Sourdough recipe and what I normally do with it behind it so that the basics are in one place that I use all the time sort of thing. It is something I am pondering.......how to do better.

 

We should always try to do better, learn more and push on no matter what.

 

We must always stay obedient.

 

Recently I have been reading on how to be more frugal....

 

 

This is a good place to start to read on to get ideas www.budget101.com search around on there. I love the selection of mixes you can make at home. Look at the convenience foods you bought, how much would you have saved making your own? She said also it is good to know how to substitute things, saves you from going to the store. She mentioned a trip to the store takes thirty minutes and in that time you could make up some mixes, like seven to be exact.

 

For me I thought I might look at my menu for the week and see what mixes would enhance my meals and make them up. She mentioned you can reuse the bags. She made labels with directions on them and recipe to make the mix up again. I know I find myself very tired from pain so this would help me. I know that lots of times I will mix dry ingredients to a recipe we like and have it ready in the morning to add the wet ingredients. You could take this one step further and package it so that you can use it in a week, a month, whatever would help you.

 

http://www.budget101.com/breakfast-mixes-recipes/myo-instant-oatmeal-various-flavors-1297.html this is a great example of mixes that could help you on those busy "need to hurry the kids to school" mornings.

 

http://www.budget101.com/frugal/cake-mix-recipes-178/ having a cake mix in the cupboard could help in a pinch.

 

http://www.budget101.com/frugal/convenience-mixes-181/  I bet you will find something you purchase on a regular basis here. This will be more helpful, just do a mix and try it to be sure all like it...then you can start making several at a time to have on hand.

 

Also I found a few more sites for you this week....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DSZsQu0ZtVQ  This is my favorite site for reusing yarn. Someone asked me, is this worth it and I say yes as the yarn prices have gone up so much.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAomYjHzUQk&feature=youtu.be  this will show you how easy it is to make your own pillowcases and how you could use scraps you have. Also you might get an idea how to personalize them for your children but this is way less expensive then purchasing them.

 

http://www.wikihow.com/Grocery-Shop-and-Cook-Frugally these are pretty basic but a reminder is good

 

http://refashionista.net/ just to show you that you could redo some of your old things or someone else's things. I think you get the idea here, good to be able to sew - work on that skill.

 

Shop used first before you make your purchases.

 

At this point with winter bills, I want you to know I have a friend who her heat, just heat bill, now will be $700 a month, no natural gas only oil. So you see you have it pretty good as that is hard to come up with in the winter time.

 

http://ladyott.com/2012/04/18/how-to-mend-holes-in-woolens/ how to fix your clothes is a skill all can have.

 

http://www.instructables.com/id/Grow-Onions-from-Discarded-Onion-Bottoms/?ALLSTEPS I know I planted celery bottoms in the garden at planting time and they grew till something ate them before I could. This year I will plant in the center and not on the edge, I will be victorious I say!

 

http://tipnut.com/vintage-baking-tips/ back to basic goodness and homemade yum

 

Some ideas that are so helpful when making cookies, double the batch it is just as much work to mix, then put half of the dough in rolls, wrap with plastic wrap and then tinfoil and write on it what it is and then some cold and stormy day when the kids are home from school, pull it out and slice and bake....everyone will be happy, I promise!

 

Also when you are making things you normally eat, lets say lasagna, make two one for the freezer.... then you can do this with soups and lots of things and down the road you will have a meal, especially if you are not feeling well.

 

Best tip - buying the rolls of cookie dough are expensive so make your own and that is how it is with lots of foods. So check the sites I sent, I am searching on them as well to find ways to stretch things, One thing is, I will make mixes of what we already like to have on hand (out of what I have in storage anyway) and this will help me. Of course when I fix things we have to eat a while or freeze till we use it up with just two of us........like one lb of hamburger made into homemade sloppy joes which I must tell you are our favorite....and one package of buns is three meals for us.

 

Sloppy Joes (this I like to put in small crockpot in the morning of a going to be busy day)

 

Brown 1 lb of hamburger, drain and put in your small crockpot

To this add: 

1/4 c. ketchup

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp sugar

1 tsp worchestershire sauce

1 tsp mustard

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp salt

 

Combine well and let it cook through the day, of course you can do this on stove top I just know that this way, when I am tired at the end of the day it will be ready and waiting for me.

 

Also this is in my storage notebook as I can hamburger and have all these things in my storage, this is something I could make, however I would have to make the buns, no problem there have all it takes to make them too.

 

So this is a good storage recipe.

 

Granted it might be easier to open a can and dump in your meat however this tastes better it also is way cheaper and no artificial anything in it.

 

So for larger families you will need to double or more depending on the amount you are feeding.

 

We get three meals from this, 8 sandwiches.....works well for 8 buns I say.

 

So keep working on your storage and learning how to use it better, how to save time since our lives are busy. Keep learning skills teach each other help each other.