Here is a recipe that my family really enjoys. I have modified it to use beans. I also use some whole wheat flour and my cannery apples in this. You can take any recipe you already make and adapt it to use your food storage!
*If rehydrating apples, put them in water now and let them soak while you prepare the pastry.
Pastry:
2 cups flour (I did half white and half whole wheat for you)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c soft butter (I used 1/2 c butter and 1/2 cup whole white beans that I mashed slightly by beating a few times in my stand mixer, just as if I had cut in butter)
1 egg beaten (1 T dried egg powder, 2 T water)
Filling:
1/2 c white sugar (I halved this so if you felt it lacked sweetness add it back in)
1/4 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1 t cinnamon
4 cup sliced, peeled apples (I measured 4 c dried apples into a large glass measuring cup, covered them with water and microwaved for 3 minutes. You can also pour boiling water over them to reconstitute. I realize this will make more than 4 cups of apples, but I love apples so I don't mind. I do the same when I make pies and don't have any overfilling issues. NOTE: I notice that the machine doesn't always get all the core out while processing the apple pieces so sometimes you find harder bits or a stem. I just drain the apples and run my hand through them, squeezing to find those hard parts and discard them.)
To make pastry: mix flour, sugar, salt and baking powder in bowl. Cut in butter/beans. Gently mix in egg intil mixture resembles coarse crumbs and is well mixed. Spray 9x13 pan. Pat 2/3 of crust onto bottom of pan to form crust. Preheat oven to 350 and set pan aside.
Toss all filling ingredients and spread on crust. Sprinkle on the remainder of the crust as a topping. Bake 40 min and cool completely.
Glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 T milk (2 t dry milk, 3 T water)
1 t almond extract
Mix dry ingredients, add extract and slowly whisk in (or use a fork) water. Drizzle over cooled pastry. Cut into bars and cool.
I think half of the glaze is plenty but when making it for others I use the whole recipe so it looks prettier. For our class last night I ended up quartering the sugar and halving the rest because I was lazy and didn't want to open another bag of sugar from the basement. :) I also frosted it while it was still warm because my roofers were finished and I wanted to bring some out to them before they left. Normally I would definitley wait until it cooled so the glaze would remain a solid drizzle and not just melt in. Sorry, ladies!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Low Fat Chocolate Peanut Butter Brownies
Here is the brownie recipe! I will add my notes in red. These don't make a fudgy, melt-in-your mouth brownie (need the butter for that!), but they are a delicious, moist, cake-like brownie that will satisfy your sweet tooth!
1 1/3 cup water
2/3 cup + 2T bean puree (white or black) I used 2/3 cup only since I didn't want to open another freezer bag of puree and I freeze them in 2/3 cup increments.
1 1/2 T white vinegar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 Tbs salt
1 tsp baking soda
Preheat your oven to 350F. Combine wet ingredients and mix. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 27-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Mine took 32 minutes. Top with icing directly out of oven.
Peanut Butter Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T creamy peanut butter
2 T milk (1 tsp noninstant cannery milk plus 2 Tbs water - 2 tsp if using instant dry milk)
Mix dry ingredients then add water and peanut butter.
1 1/3 cup water
2/3 cup + 2T bean puree (white or black) I used 2/3 cup only since I didn't want to open another freezer bag of puree and I freeze them in 2/3 cup increments.
1 1/2 T white vinegar
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 Tbs salt
1 tsp baking soda
Preheat your oven to 350F. Combine wet ingredients and mix. Combine all dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to the wet ingredients. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan and bake 27-35 minutes or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Mine took 32 minutes. Top with icing directly out of oven.
Peanut Butter Icing
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 T creamy peanut butter
2 T milk (1 tsp noninstant cannery milk plus 2 Tbs water - 2 tsp if using instant dry milk)
Mix dry ingredients then add water and peanut butter.
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Welcome!
I'm so happy to be back. Take a look around and see what kind of recipes I have here that will help you to care for you family and home on the cheap and in a wholesome way!
Friday, October 14, 2011
Saving Money - Food Shopping
Knowledge is power when it comes to saving money when you are grocery shopping. The key is to know what a good price is for the items you buy on a regular basis and then buying it (and hopefully one or more extra) when you see a good sale price. If the item is a name brand item you can find coupons for that item and combine them with a sale for extra spending power. There are many sites that will match up coupons and sale prices for you for FREE and a good many more that will do it for a charge. Some free sites are: Pinching Your Pennies, A Full Cup, Bargain Blessings, Denver Bargains, and Coupon Mom.
Some basics for knowing a good price point: Meats should be under $2/pound, Fruits/Veggies under $1/pound. Go through your receipts and add items into a price book for yourself as you purchase items. Find out what Costco, Sam's Club or Wal*Mart sell these items for (these are often the lowest non-sale prices) and then buy up when you see an item go lower.
Tips You Probably Know:
- Check for "reduced for quick sale" items when you're shopping. Even the club/warehouse stores have them!
- Look at the price per ounce when you compare brands and packaging. It is not always the bigger package or the store brand that is the cheapest.
- Don't shop when you're hungry or distracted by a cartful of kids (when possible!). You'll buy more, forget something, and not stick to your plan which costs you more money.
- Buy in bulk and then separate and store in more usable portions. This goes for anything from chicken, to chips, to cheese that you can grate yourself, to frozen veggies and pesto sauce, etc.
Tips You May Not Know:
- Albertson's (haven't checked this since ours were bought out) used to discount their "ground fresh daily" beef each evening to half price at a certain time. Check with your butcher to see if your store participates.
- King Soopers sells "B" grade eggs for a cheaper price by the dozen than their regular eggs. These are the eggs that were repackaged from egg packages that had a broken egg. Rather than toss the batch, they make a dozen from the whole eggs from many packages. You may get a mix of medium, x-large, brown, cage-free. On a week where eggs are selling for $1 or less this isn't the best deal, but in a regular week it's your best bet.
- Not all bakery clearance items are the same. Wal*Mart's aren't even half off. King Soopers and Albertson's almost always are. Find out where your clearance racks are in your store. I can't beat King Soopers for a quick loaf of bread, flowers and a pie or brownies for a sick friend (all available in the discounted section). My King Soopers also keeps a section of their cooler for discounted dairy items - I've been able to find some nice deals on milk - even organic - and yogurt, and half-and-half.
- Hands down the cheapest way to buy food is to buy is in bulk. Did you know Sunflower Market and Natural Grocers have a bulk section? I've not found a cheaper place than NG to buy my spices and dried veggies for rice mixes. And if you really *need* chocolate covered pretzels SM's price beats a package at Wal*Mart by a lot!
- Get friendly with the Dollar Tree! Pretzels are cheaper there than anywhere else, a balloon for a friend's birthday is far less than half what you pay at the grocery store, jarred red peppers are $1, as are glass sundae cups for a fun family night tradition! If you choose not to make your own cleaners they also have toilet bowl cleaner and an all-purpose cleaner called The Works that is supposed to work really well. Even their pregnancy are known to be accurate and a great buy. I buy my toilet brushes and shower curtain liners there. They also have paint trays, rollers and tape for less than anywhere I've seen.
- Food co-ops are also often a good deal. I use one called Bountiful Baskets that sells you a basket full of fruits and veggies for $15. The cost for an organic basket is $25. They also offer "extras" when they can find them like large boxes of tomatoes, peaches, apricots and other seasonal offerings. They offer packs of bread, granola and other goodies as well for a competitive price.
Some basics for knowing a good price point: Meats should be under $2/pound, Fruits/Veggies under $1/pound. Go through your receipts and add items into a price book for yourself as you purchase items. Find out what Costco, Sam's Club or Wal*Mart sell these items for (these are often the lowest non-sale prices) and then buy up when you see an item go lower.
Tips You Probably Know:
- Check for "reduced for quick sale" items when you're shopping. Even the club/warehouse stores have them!
- Look at the price per ounce when you compare brands and packaging. It is not always the bigger package or the store brand that is the cheapest.
- Don't shop when you're hungry or distracted by a cartful of kids (when possible!). You'll buy more, forget something, and not stick to your plan which costs you more money.
- Buy in bulk and then separate and store in more usable portions. This goes for anything from chicken, to chips, to cheese that you can grate yourself, to frozen veggies and pesto sauce, etc.
Tips You May Not Know:
- Albertson's (haven't checked this since ours were bought out) used to discount their "ground fresh daily" beef each evening to half price at a certain time. Check with your butcher to see if your store participates.
- King Soopers sells "B" grade eggs for a cheaper price by the dozen than their regular eggs. These are the eggs that were repackaged from egg packages that had a broken egg. Rather than toss the batch, they make a dozen from the whole eggs from many packages. You may get a mix of medium, x-large, brown, cage-free. On a week where eggs are selling for $1 or less this isn't the best deal, but in a regular week it's your best bet.
- Not all bakery clearance items are the same. Wal*Mart's aren't even half off. King Soopers and Albertson's almost always are. Find out where your clearance racks are in your store. I can't beat King Soopers for a quick loaf of bread, flowers and a pie or brownies for a sick friend (all available in the discounted section). My King Soopers also keeps a section of their cooler for discounted dairy items - I've been able to find some nice deals on milk - even organic - and yogurt, and half-and-half.
- Hands down the cheapest way to buy food is to buy is in bulk. Did you know Sunflower Market and Natural Grocers have a bulk section? I've not found a cheaper place than NG to buy my spices and dried veggies for rice mixes. And if you really *need* chocolate covered pretzels SM's price beats a package at Wal*Mart by a lot!
- Get friendly with the Dollar Tree! Pretzels are cheaper there than anywhere else, a balloon for a friend's birthday is far less than half what you pay at the grocery store, jarred red peppers are $1, as are glass sundae cups for a fun family night tradition! If you choose not to make your own cleaners they also have toilet bowl cleaner and an all-purpose cleaner called The Works that is supposed to work really well. Even their pregnancy are known to be accurate and a great buy. I buy my toilet brushes and shower curtain liners there. They also have paint trays, rollers and tape for less than anywhere I've seen.
- Food co-ops are also often a good deal. I use one called Bountiful Baskets that sells you a basket full of fruits and veggies for $15. The cost for an organic basket is $25. They also offer "extras" when they can find them like large boxes of tomatoes, peaches, apricots and other seasonal offerings. They offer packs of bread, granola and other goodies as well for a competitive price.
Our favorite quick pizza dough for Pizza Night
2 pkgs of yeast (or 2 rounded T)
2 C. warm water
2-3 tsp. salt
1/4 C. veggie oil
5 C. flour or enough to make a good consistency. (I always try to get it so it's just a little sticky but still easy to handle)
You don't need to let it rise. Makes 2 large pizzas. Bake at 375 until golden. This is a thick pizza dough and it's super easy to adapt in fun ways. You can add Italian Seasoning to the dough, you can roll up string cheese around the edges to make a stuffed crust pizza. You can use half of the dough for bread sticks, or cinnamon sticks. Use your imagination!
For pizza sauce we add seasoning to tomato sauce. You can just add the basics but here is the combination I like:
1 can (8 ounce size) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 C. warm water
2-3 tsp. salt
1/4 C. veggie oil
5 C. flour or enough to make a good consistency. (I always try to get it so it's just a little sticky but still easy to handle)
You don't need to let it rise. Makes 2 large pizzas. Bake at 375 until golden. This is a thick pizza dough and it's super easy to adapt in fun ways. You can add Italian Seasoning to the dough, you can roll up string cheese around the edges to make a stuffed crust pizza. You can use half of the dough for bread sticks, or cinnamon sticks. Use your imagination!
For pizza sauce we add seasoning to tomato sauce. You can just add the basics but here is the combination I like:
1 can (8 ounce size) tomato sauce
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/2 teaspoon dry basil
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
Sneaky Creamy Oatmeal Mix (Make your own instant oatmeal packets)
(Makes 8 servings)
4 C. Oatmeal
2 T. Powdered Milk
2 T. Sugar (You can change this according to your family’s tastes)
Mix dry ingredients together in empter #10 can and store covered in a cool, dry place. We also like to add the cannery's dried apples and send the whole can to work with my husband. He also prefers me to add cinnamon and nutmeg.
Making Creamy Oatmeal from the Sneaky Oatmeal Mix (Makes 1 serving)
1/2 C. Oatmeal Mix (I know I said 1/4 C. on the video, I meant 1/2 C.)
1 C. Water
Small handful of Raisins (Optional) You could also use dehydrated apples from the cannery just break them into smaller pieces
Mix Oatmeal mix and raisins (or other dehydrated fruit) with water and microwave for 2 minutes. If you need to make more of this for a larger family, simply boil the water first in a pot on the stove and then stir in the oats and let sit for 1 minute.
4 C. Oatmeal
2 T. Powdered Milk
2 T. Sugar (You can change this according to your family’s tastes)
Mix dry ingredients together in empter #10 can and store covered in a cool, dry place. We also like to add the cannery's dried apples and send the whole can to work with my husband. He also prefers me to add cinnamon and nutmeg.
Making Creamy Oatmeal from the Sneaky Oatmeal Mix (Makes 1 serving)
1/2 C. Oatmeal Mix (I know I said 1/4 C. on the video, I meant 1/2 C.)
1 C. Water
Small handful of Raisins (Optional) You could also use dehydrated apples from the cannery just break them into smaller pieces
Mix Oatmeal mix and raisins (or other dehydrated fruit) with water and microwave for 2 minutes. If you need to make more of this for a larger family, simply boil the water first in a pot on the stove and then stir in the oats and let sit for 1 minute.
Saving Money - Cleaning
You can find lots of DIY recipes for cleaning solutions on this blog and that is the major way you can save money in this area.
Another thing that we do is to use reusable, washable cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. I bought a handful of microfiber cloths ($1 or less) and a huge pack of white shop cloths from Costco. We use them to clean our counters, mirrors, cabinets, floors, doors, everything! I toss them in the laundry when we're done, wash them and then they're ready to go for the next cleaning job.
I have a microfiber mop head as well that I wash and re-use. I've even seen washable microfiber sponges!
Another thing that we do is to use reusable, washable cleaning cloths instead of paper towels. I bought a handful of microfiber cloths ($1 or less) and a huge pack of white shop cloths from Costco. We use them to clean our counters, mirrors, cabinets, floors, doors, everything! I toss them in the laundry when we're done, wash them and then they're ready to go for the next cleaning job.
I have a microfiber mop head as well that I wash and re-use. I've even seen washable microfiber sponges!
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