Monday Message

"I wish to urge again the importance of self-reliance on the part of every individual Church member and family. None of us knows when a catastrophe might strike. Sickness, injury, unemployment may affect any of us. We have a great welfare program with facilities for such things as grain storage in various areas. It is important that we do this. But the best place to have some food set aside is within our homes, together with a little money in savings. The best welfare program is our own welfare program. Five or six cans of wheat in the home are better than a bushel in the welfare granary." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

Things seem to only be getting worse right now with groceries continuing to get more expensive with every trip to the store, bird flu with egg shortages, with job layoffs, price of gas, weather. It makes us all wonder, how can we manage?

We can't solve these problems but maybe we can do some things to help our family.

I have noticed the shortage of eggs, some areas have none and those that do, the prices are very high. What can we do?

These are my favorite substitutes for eggs...

For using one egg this is my favorite - 1 tsp. unflavored gelatin, add 1/4 c. cold water, stir till dissolved. Then add 2 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. of hot water then take out 1/4 c. of liquid from your recipe. This equals one egg.

If you need two or three eggs use 2 Tbsp. water or milk, 1/2 tsp. baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp. vegetable oil, 2 Tbsp. flour.

You can find other recipes but these are my favorite.

I always thought I would sorely miss French toast if I did not have eggs but not so.... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_99AiTOF7Ao&list=PLQ5tDXveYZqdf5oDNm1FpWv6AaYwoNBLo

Here are more of her eggless recipes - https://www.youtube.com/@EasilyEggless/videos

With eggs so high-priced these will help stretch what eggs you do have.

Yes, it does take more work to be more frugal but we can do it.

I see many people doing no-spend months and only using what they have on hand. I guess I would say if times were normal this would be helpful but they aren't normal and I would suggest that if you do this, keep track of what you use and save the funds you would have spent for purchasing storage and replacing what you use. Look for sales and stock up. I say use, replace, stock up.

Stock up on non-perishable items that can stretch your budget.

I like to have instant potatoes on hand to add to bread or soup or casseroles. We don't mind eating them as mashed potatoes either but if you don't like them as mashed, cook a potato and use that water and the potato to add to the instant mashed potatoes.

We like them on this casserole...

Green Bean Casserole

In a greased 9x13 pan put cooked hamburger, whatever amount you have or I love using leftover taco meat, to this add two cans of drained green beans, add two cans tomato soup, you can add dehydrated onion if desired. Stir this all together and spread out evenly in the pan, top with mashed potatoes. I top with cheese if I have it on hand or you can leave it plain.

It is all about stretching what we have without sacrificing yumminess!

Flour is important to stock up on along with salt, sugar, yeast (which I store in the freezer and the quart jar I am using in the refrigerator) and vegetable shortening and oil, storing these items means bread products.

Then baking powder and baking soda, cocoa powder, canned fruits and veggies, powdered milk, rice and beans, popcorn, pasta, peanut butter and jams and jelly, oatmeal, molasses - if you have this and sugar you can make your own brown sugar.

There are more things that you can add to this list but you can see if you have items like this in-house there are more things you could make.

If you put off stocking up because you think the prices will come down it would be like years ago flour jumped from $3.79 (for a 20 pound bag) to $4.79. I wasn't happy so went to ask the worker what happened with the flour, he said it jumps this time of year (no it didn't), just wait it will come back down. Well I'm still waiting. It never did go back down, it has only gone up. I went ahead and got the flour. So long story short, just get it in.

I always say if you go into a store, don't leave without one item for storage, just a box of Jell-o or a jar of peanut butter or a package of beans. Either you will stop going to the store so often or you will build your storage.

French Dressing - This is a family favorite (my mother-in-law's recipe)

1 c. oil

1 c. ketchup

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. vinegar

1/4 tsp. each of...

garlic powder

celery seed

parsley

minced dry onion

Stir till sugar is dissolved.

This fits nicely in a quart jar just shake before using.

Bread is a frugal way to stretch your meals and tastes great as well, check out this post on all the recipes you can make with a bread machine or by hand! - https://frugalmeasures.blogspot.com/2019/08/monday-message.html

Busy Day Soup Mix (I like to have jars of it on the shelf ready to go)

into a pint jar put...

6 beef or chicken boullion cubes

1/4 c. lentils

1/4 c. ABC-shaped pasta

1/8 c. yellow split peas

1/8 c. barley

1/4 c. green split peas

1/4 c. wide noodles

1/4 c. dried onion

Then I tuck a few bowtie pasta to fill in the rest.

To make it...

Add the ingredients of this jar to six cups of boiling water that you either cooked a cut-up pound of chicken in or a pound of hamburger which is still in there by the way. Simmer this for an hour.

It is terrific and so nice to have on the shelves.

Mary Ann gave us one of her favorite soups - https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/soup/vegetable-soup/cabbage-soup-12.html

And also shared this site...thank you! https://www.justapinch.com/recipes/main-course/casseroles/taco-spaghetti-casserole.html?utm_source=jap+TrendHead&utm_medium=curatorcrowd&utm_campaign=TrendHead&utm_content=TrendHead+1

I will add again these frugal favorite sites of mine...

https://chickensintheroad.com/classic/cooking/homemade-hamburger-helper/

https://extension.usu.edu/sanpete/files/Soup_or_Sauce_SOS_Mix.pdf

https://www.budget101.com/recipes/516-complete-mix-recipe-index/

Keep building your skills so you can mend your clothes and do other helpful things.

I am moving along on this project. Knowing how to knit has been a great skill, crocheting is as well.

It is nice not to have to go get food when a snowstorm hits.

Missy says be on the lookout for frugal ideas!