FRUGAL MAMAS
I didn't just hear about the backyard chicken trend, I have friends that post about their chick-growing shenanigans on Facebook. Though dismissed before as an upscale doyenne, we now recognize Martha Stewart was cutting edge. Fast forward, have you seen her recent pool pic? Yes, that Martha with her Guide to Raising Healthy, Happy Chickens at Home!
I am not a natural homemaker and serving three square meals a day remains a family survival challenge.
Saving Time and Money
Early in my marriage, I was taught to both inventory my pantry ingredients and plan meals for the week. This saved money when limited to once-a-week grocery runs. This also saved time ensuring nutritious meals were the reward for each hectic day of work and school, instead of last-minute, fast food fails.
I learned to laugh alongside chef Jeff Smith, The Frugal Gourmet, rather than stress to Martha's perfection. My version of the domestic goddess relies on:
- Recipes torn from magazines, copied from library books, or adapted from food entrepreneurs Natasha Kravchuk and Marion Grasby. It satisfies my inner chemist to experiment with recipes.
- Backyard vegetables harvested from our raised beds.
- Passive cooking strategies like one-pot meals and slow-cooker use.
Conserving Energy and Water
I've dusted off my crockpot. Using it will primarily preserve the nutritional content of my ingredients. Moreover, passive cooking for four hours on the high-, or eight hours on the low-setting supports our SDG&E off-peak energy consumption habit.
I discovered Wendy's Frugal Minimalist YouTube videos. She expresses my desire to use fewer kitchen gadgets, to keep my counter uncluttered and to use less water by only running the dishwasher at bedtime.
Shout-Outs
I could always learn a thing or two, but too chicken to attempt a backyard coop. I'm sending kudos to both Kellee Wipp in Florida and Debbie Castillo in Texas. You impressive ladies have my chicken-loving respect!
Composting may be my future challenge; let me get back to you on that...
Regina, I so agree with you that providing three meals a day every day is a challenge. Now that my daughters are seniors in high school, I used the excuse of teaching them independence to have them try to plan and cook dinner for one week a month. This was a big fail so now I have decided to reduce my stress and support local chefs by signing up to receive a few prepared meals a week that I can just heat up. When I do cook, I also look for few ingredient simple meals.
ReplyDeleteWhen I pared down my books, my recipe book shelves reduced from 2 to one. I'm not a natural home cook and desperately use these helps.
DeleteAt 6:30 am, I Google-searched "Martha Stewart cheesecloth butter turkey." Six hours later, this golden turkey going to my girlfriend's party is gonna be a showstopper.
DeleteThing is, did I forget to take out the giblets before I seasoned and stuffed the cavity?
I love to save money on food, but yet have great nutritious meals. One way I save is to search recipes that have the items I have on hand in my pantry, frig or freezer. Another way is to save all my vegi scraps and put them in the freezer. When it comes time to making broth ( carcass from the chicken I roasted) I simply add those vegi scraps and throw it in to make the broth, strain after cooking in water and walla! And lastly, I make big batches of chowder, soups, chili, and put them in individual serving size containers compatible with freezing and nuking. Throw it in your lunch and since it's frozen, it will thaw before lunchtime and keeps other items cool too!
ReplyDeleteOne lesson to takeaway from my last blog entry: "Find recipes given the ingredients you have on hand. Find joy with the Allrecipes.com Search by Ingredient website function."
DeleteGreat minds think alike!
You inspired me to look for a sweet potato soup recipe for the Thanksgiving meal. Wish me luck...
DeleteIf you find a good sweet potato soup recipe, please share!
DeleteStill looking and will not stop until I've succeeded cooking one! I've got hungry teen-aged tasters over here!
DeleteI too am a food prepper. The newest thing in my life is planning meals with my new husband who is learning to eat more vegetables with an Asian flair. It is interesting how bread, milk, and peanut butter as a staple for one, is a weight gainer for another. I've discovered that I need to introduce food slowly. As long as my husband is learning to eat better, we are on our way of ridding our Covid 19 weight gain. We enjoyed zucchinis and eggplants this summer. Now we are trying to grow more vegetables that he enjoys to eat. We are going to attempt to grow cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, and bell peppers. The last one is a stretch as it is not his favorite. Let's see how it goes!
ReplyDeleteRhodora, kudos to you and new spouse learning to meld your culinary habits!
DeleteThree squares when working is tough! Growing up in a large family, I have always cooked more than needed for one meal! I try freezing leftovers for future meals, or just make dinner extras for lunch the next day. This works for me. It is funny though how some foods, other than pasta, don't get eaten as leftovers by some members of the family!
ReplyDeleteLeftovers for lunch sustain most moms at work... otherwise yes they stay in the fridge for days. I currently use 4-serving recipes and remind my family to eat up and expecting "No leftover, please!"
DeleteMy wife has always prepared enough food for each meal to provide me with a substantial lunch at work. My first job after I retired from the Marine Corps, everyone asked who fixed such good meals for your lunch? I would scoff it off and say "left overs". I never went hungry at work! Thank you for your blog.
DeleteI must admit, being a minimalist myself I own little amount of things, to avoid clutter, and time spent on cleaning and organizing. However I must admit that I did not even think about using a scale (which I own and use to measure my portions of food for the meal) to replace measuring cups and spoons. The video you included was beneficial for many reasons and I applaud you for including it.
ReplyDelete