What motherhood and life circumstances has taught me recently, is that there is a very different feeling and experience, even if you live on the same budget, depending on whether in the end that is all you have, vs. you are simply choosing to live below your means. For example, paying $60 a week for groceries feels much more stressful when there is no more than $60 to be found, compared to having several hundred left to spend on groceries, but you choose to only spend $60. Today as I walked around the grocery store with my children in  tow, I reflected on this as I counted up the pennies and made my purchases balance. It never felt this stressful when I was simply playing more of a grocery game (frugal by choice and proud of it!).  And the truth is, it certainly doesn’t feel like a game now, I’m not sure what it feels like, but it is stressful. Each time school sends home another letter requesting supplies/a certain coloured shirt for a play/an activity fee etc., another growth spurt happens, or new meds are prescribed, it is no longer about reducing the amount going into savings, it is something all together more challenging – what do we cut now?

I am not poor. We have a lovely roof over our heads, good food in the fridge, books and games and hobbies and joy. But I am also gaining some very good perspective – each car ride now is evaluated for its essentialness, which is humbling, but perfectly fine (having worked in countries where people have to walk 5 miles to get to school, perspective is never far off!). However tough this season of needs is, and it is tough, I am learning more and more each day about the beauty in simplicity, the choices we can still make and the importance of, when possible, saving and building a safety net. I’m thankful that while it feels so different to my previous lifestyle of frugal by choice, I learned some very important lessons during that season that I can apply now.  And I’m thankful I mostly remember that one just needs to sit tight to ride out the storm. But in the meantime, a moratorium on bills please !

• 1 cup butter (at room temp)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 2 Tbsp wheat germ
• 3/4 cups coconut
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions

Cream together butter, white sugar and brown sugar. Add egg and continue beating. Stir in flour, rolled oats, wheat germ, coconut, baking powder and baking soda. Mix thoroughly. Add chips and form into small balls. Place on cooking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 8-12 min – watching carefully. Remove to cooling rack. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies!

Ingredients

• 1/2 medium cabbage
• Meat layer: 1 1/4 lb ground beef, 1/4 c grated onion, 1 egg beaten, 1/2 c uncooked rice, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1/3 cup water
• Sauce layer: 32 oz tomato juice, 4 tsp lemon juice, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper, 1 garlic clove

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 325, shred cabbage coarsely and place 1/2 in the bottom of a casserole dish (2 1/2 – 3 qt size). Mix meat layer in a separate bowl until well mixed, then spread over cabbage layer. Cover with the remaining cabbage on top. Combine sauce ingredients in pan and simmer for 15-20 min. Pour over cabbage. Cover tightly and cook in oven for 2.5 – 3 hours. Freezes very well! (Just sayin’ ) 

I’ve found this a great recipe for a Saturday or Sunday evening at home. Generally I’ve served with a spinach, cheese (mostly feta) & pear salad or a light garden salad with lettuce, cucumbers, grated cheese, carrots & purple cabbage!

I thought this article entitled Top Ten Eco-Friendly Reasons to Buy Organic Meat & Dairy was particularly good.

Generally I try to buy organic dairy & meat (when I eat it), plus organic strawberries and any nut products (including peanut butter) based on another article I read!

Do you buy organic? What do you prioritize?

This week, I’m focusing on a bit of detoxing, so food should be interesting!

Breakfasts:

• Yogurt with cut up pears, blueberries, dried cranberries, almonds & peanut butter, with a spinach smoothie x 2
• Blueberry smoothie with rye toast & almond butter x 1
• Stealcut oatmeal with blueberries & grapes x 2

Lunches:

• Tuna with white beans on spinach with shredded cabbage x 2
• Corn Chowder with tomato & avocado salad
• Cut up yellow zucchini with homemade hummus & apple slices
• Grilled cheese with beets & avocado on rye bread

Dinners:

• Curried lentils and cauliflower with salad x 2
• Spinach balls with veggie stirfry & chickpeas 
• Homemade vegan chili
• Lentil walnut loaf with roasted brussel sprouts (plus loads of lentil loaf to freeze!)

My frugal tip for today is to always take the time to freezer cook & bake. It can be as little as 3 hours once every other week or even once a month. When you first begin start small, be realistic and think about what type of meals would save you time. When I had the four children time was precious, eating out was expensive and unnecessary but I was tired and busy. Even being single afterwards, I would often just think it was easier to get a quick take out, but even when you are buying for one or two, it still costs money to eat out. Here are some tips for beginning freezer cooking and baking.

1. Start by setting yourself a slot of 3 hours and put it on the calendar. If it’s there you won’t agree to meeting up with friends that afternoon, or schedule other things.

2. The week you cook make sure include any ingredients you will need in your weekly shop. Think careful about what type of meals would be of most benefit.

3. Make sure you have storage equipment and simple containers of different sizes and room in your freezer!

4. Involve your kids! This is such a great educational activity in measuring, recording, printing, timing and working on your fine motor skills! Make sure everyone has clean hands, aprons and the little ones who can’t participate are busy & in eye-sight (playdoh & colouring is great, as is playing with Tupperware!)

5. Set a goal of making 8 meals (2 meals for each week) and making two baked goods for snacks or breakfasts. If you think about it, that is only making four different recipes. Most can cook at the same time. For starting I would recommend making two lasagna, a big bowl of soup with at least 3 meals worth, muffins and bread (banana or sultana, orange & bran works well). Then work yourself up, now typically I would make two or three soups, chili, lasagna x 2, bolognaise sauce, curry, chicken strips (when eating meat. heh!), potato & kale bake,  muffins x 24, cookies, breads, smoothies, pesto and apple sauce. Generally now, one cooking & baking session a month gets me about 20 main meals, 10 breakfasts and another 10+ meals to donate to a women’s shelter or people in need.

6. Do your dishes as you go! This means at the end of the cooking time, your kitchen is clean and you can pat yourself on the back and say “job well done”!

7. Label what you’ve made with a date, ingredients, size of entrée.

8. Mark on the calendar what days you are going to have your meals and what to have them with (with lasagna I always serve a salad and a green veg like green beans or peas, with soup I always serve rolls & a salad), or mark 1/2 of the days and leave the rest for “I am so exhausted I feel sick” days [that's always been my strategy ]

9. Schedule your next freezer cooking day and reflect on what went well and what could have been better.

10. Enjoy the fruits of your labor; save money and time!

If you would like to read about one of my Baking Day’s and what meals I made, then see this post! 

• 3/4 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 3/4 cup peanut butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup all purpose flour
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup oatmeal
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:

Cream together margarine and sugars and blend in the egg. Add peanut butter and vanilla and beat well. Stir flour mixed with baking soda, salt, oatmeal & chocolate chips.  Form into dough balls and if you want roll in some white sugar on an ungreased cookie sheet (I leave that part out as I find them sweet enough!). Flatten each cookie with a fork dipped in water. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes. Makes 3 dozen cookies! Consider making two batches!

I freeze some, give some away and smash up a few to add to my morning yogurt with fruit & seeds for an extra kick!

I have made these cookies to be vegan by omitting the egg, buying vegan margarine (or mixed 1/2 vegan margarine with a bit of applesauce). I usually just adjust other quantities as needed!

Photo credit – Melystu

There are 29 pounds worth of blueberries sitting in the kitchen, any ideas/recipes/suggestions as to what to do with them? Right now, I’m just eating them fresh from the basket…

Photo Credit mnapoleon

I’ve noticed, as I begin to transition to the 40 degree temperatures with no air conditioning, that my body has naturally craved very simple meals. Last night we had steamed broccoli with grated cheese on top, 7 almonds and a juicy tomato salad with homegrown tomatoes (not due to any hard work on my part!). And I’m enjoying these simple suppers, simple times, simple little acts which create lovely memories and little work.

Photo Credit Rhenka – Flickr

And these meals teach me something about life: the less rushed we are, the more natural & simple our actions are; it teaches me about the beauty in watching a process evolve & a simple rhythm enter our lives. Somehow what is in my kitchen right now is relaxing, peaceful and all together reassuring. Sometimes the most simple things really are the most beautiful things!

What’s in your kitchen right now?

This week, the menu plan is…

Breakfasts

• Yoghurt mess – yoghurt with raspberries, grapefruit, almond butter, honey & seed mix x 4
• Pancakes with lemon & sugar and baked beans x 2
• Marmite on toast x 1

Lunches

• Pitta bread dipped in homemade guacamole, cut up sweet potato fries, cherry tomatoes
• Salmon flakes with 3 bean salad, cut up oranges x 2
• Courgette and mozzarella salad, grapes, kidney beans x 2
• Baked potato with grated cheese, avocado, cherry tomatoes, grated carrot
• Broccoli soup

Dinners

• Tacos (vegetarian) x 2
• Mediterranean pizza (veggie) with sautéed spinach, asparagus
• Broccoli soup with homemade roles & spinach salad
• Veggie stir fry with rice
• Haddock on a bed of celeric mash with asparagus & peas

Here’s hoping I stick to it