Friday, June 28, 2013

Top 5 Food Deals: June 28-July 4, 2013


Welcome to this Friday's roundup of the "Top 5" food deals in my area for the coming week. While some of the deals will be exclusive to the Hamilton area, many of them will be available throughout most or all of Ontario, depending on the stores involved in a particular sale. Sale prices end July 4th unless otherwise noted.

Here are my picks for this week:

1. Avocados
$2 for a pack of 5 at Food Basics

2. Cracker Barrel cheese
$4.44/500 g brick at Fortinos or $4.99/500 g brick at Metro

3. Bulk dried cranberries
$2.99/lb at Fortinos. They are usually $6.99/lb!
 
4. Lettuce
Ontario romaine, green or red leaf lettuces are 99 cents each at Fortinos

5. Que Pasa Tortilla Chips
Selected varieties are on sale for $2.99 at Fortinos (425 or 454 g bag depending on variety). These are an excellent quality tortilla chip made in Canada with organic corn. They have a very fun "O Canada" variety which is a mix of red and white chips (the red ones are dyed with beet juice). Perfect for your Canada Day celebrations (we will be having Taco Platters - yum!)


Happy shopping! 

Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new, super-affordably-priced weekly budget menu plan service next week, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. You can read more about it here. I have a free sample menu available, which you can check out here! 
 
Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Graduating in Style - Without Busting Our Clothing Budget!


My younger son's grade 8 graduation ceremony was yesterday afternoon. It seemed pretty surreal, especially since this was his first-ever year of school! And of course there's nothing like being packed into a non-air-conditioned school auditorium with a few hundred other people during a humid Southern Ontario heatwave :)

While the school encouraged parents not to spend too much on fancy clothing and told the kids to dress "like they were going out somewhere special with their family", of course all the kids had their own ideas about what was appropriate! I remember us all getting dressed up pretty fancy for my own grade 8 graduation, and these kids wanted to do the same.

Nathan was determined that he wanted an outfit comprised of a dress shirt, vest and dress pants, as this is what all his friends decided they were going to wear. As his usual attire is more along the lines of a pair of Adidas shorts, a T-shirt and a pair of sneakers, we didn't exactly have anything to draw on from his current wardrobe. Add to that the fact that all our schedules have been crazy busy of late and we didn't end up coordinating a time for him to go out shopping with his dad until Saturday (3 days before the event!) and we were all feeling a bit stressed about whether we'd be able to pull things together!

Thankfully, when Joe and Nathan finally did go on the hunt for an outfit, they hit paydirt at their first stop (Value Village). They were able to get the dress shirt, vest and pants in the above photo - all for just under $25! Thankfully Nathan, who doesn't own a pair of dress shoes, has the same size feet as Joe so he was able to borrow his dad's black dress shoes and socks to complete the outfit.

He was pleased with his fancy look (and he did indeed fit right in with what many of the other boys were wearing) and we didn't have to spend a ridiculous amount of money for him to get all spiffed up for his graduation ceremony. I was pretty glad about that since he ended up taking those clothes off ASAP after the ceremony and changing into his "normal" attire to head over to the dinner/dance afterwards! I'm sure he'll probably get a bit more mileage out of the shirt and pants in the future, too, since they are both basic wardrobe staple pieces.

While this wasn't quite as impressive a feat as the time I pulled off my $10 holiday outfit a year and a half ago, we were all satisfied that we put together a good outfit for a great price.

Have you managed to pull together a stylish yet frugal outfit for a graduation, wedding or other formal occasion lately?

Monday, June 24, 2013

Weekly Menu Retrospective #112

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes,
check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here.    

[sorry, no page numbers today - I'm blogging on the fly and don't have my book index with me!] 

This past week my younger son was away for 3 days on his Grade 8 Ottawa trip and the rest of us were really busy with a bunch of other end-of-the-school-year activities so meals were a bit simpler than usual and there were more leftovers to "reuse"!

Breakfasts:

Granola with yogurt, peanut butter toast, blueberry clafouti

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza, scrambled eggs and salad, quinoa salad

Dinners:

Monday: Leftover Spicy Black Bean Bake
  
Tuesday: Leftover Italian-Style Baked Pasta

Wednesday: Potato and Onion Frittata, tossed salad

Thursday: Pork with roasted vegetables and creamy mustard sauce

Friday: Indian-Spiced Honey Garlic Chicken, Coconut Rice, roasted asparagus
  
Saturday: Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Vegetable Sauce

Sunday: Roast Chicken, Skillet Millet, roasted asparagus (leftover from Friday), raspberries with custard sauce

In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut milk, coconut oil (in granola), olive oil, raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, cane sugar,  mustard, tamari, cinnamon, oregano, ginger, cumin, black pepper, parsley, paprika, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, onions, red peppers, asparagus, cucumbers, salsa (home-canned), ground beef and bacon (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk

Local AND organic:
sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegarpopcorn, millet, whole wheat flour

Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my new "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.  

SOUTHERN ONTARIO READERS: Tired of figuring out what to make for dinner? Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I have a free sample available that you can read here! It's super-affordably priced, too - more details are here.

Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Friday, June 21, 2013

Top 5 Food Deals: June 21-27, 2013


Welcome to this Friday's roundup of the "Top 5" food deals in my area for the coming week. While some of the deals will be exclusive to the Hamilton area, many of them will be available throughout most or all of Ontario, depending on the stores involved in a particular sale. Sale prices end June 27th unless otherwise noted.

Here are my picks for this week:

1. Fresh pineapples
$1.44 each at Food Basics

2. Local strawberries
$2.49/quart at Fortinos - this is not much more than we pay per quart when we pick them ourselves!

3. Dried apricots
99 cents/200 g package at Food Basics and Metro. This is an excellent price for apricots; I was skeptical how the quality would be the first time I saw these come on sale for this price; however after trying them I think they are just as good as the ones that I buy from the Bulk Barn.

4. Salad greens
Ontario romaine lettuce is $1.00 each at Freshco and spinach is 97 cents/bunch at No Frills and Freshco (Freshco sale prices end June 26th)

5. Shrimp
The odds are pretty slim that I would be featuring seafood two weeks in a row in my weekly picks - but it just so happens that I am! Last week it was a great deal on lobster, this time it's raw zipperback Pacific white shrimp for $5.99/lb at Fortinos. These will sometimes go on for as low as $4.99, but this is still a great deal at $5 off per pound! I have been buying these shrimp for a while now (when they're on sale, of course!) and my whole family has commented on how great they taste. 

Happy shopping! 

Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new, super-affordably-priced weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. You can read more about it here. I have a free sample menu available, which you can check out here! 
Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

My New Budget Menu Planning Service is (Almost) Here!


Ever since my book came out, I've gotten lots of questions and comments from readers. For some people, the book was all they needed to take control of their family grocery budget and meal planning (like the folks who have left wonderful reviews here and here). Other people have sent me comments something along the lines of "I love your book, and it has a lot of great ideas, but I just can't seem to pull it all together when it comes to coordinating my grocery shopping, menu planning and cooking."

If you consider yourself in that second group that still struggles with figuring out what to cook for dinner and making sure you have all the food you need without spending a small fortune, I have some exciting news: I am launching a new budget menu planning service that will make your life SO much easier - for a very small cost.

Imagine this arriving in your inbox every Friday afternoon:  
  •  A complete menu plan for the coming week, featuring foods on sale and in season in Southern Ontario. 
  •  You'll have all the recipes in one place, plus a complete shopping list so you'll never discover you're out of a key ingredient halfway through cooking dinner again! 
  • The grocery list will also tell you where all the best sale prices are that week for the items you need, and even tell you what other items are on sale at "rock-bottom" stock-up-now prices so you don't miss a great deal. 
If this sounds like something that would revolutionize meal time at your house (or at least take off a whole lot of pressure) I have a free sample menu available that you can check out to see just what you'll receive every week as a subscriber. You can either check it out here or email me direct to request a copy. I've already let a few friends take a look at it and the feedback I've gotten has been along the lines of "Wow!" and "I really love this!". 

I'm also committed to keeping this service extremely affordable; I really want everyone who could benefit from it to be able to sign up! A 3 month subscription is just $22.50 ($7.50 a month), 6 months is $39 ($6.50 a month) and 12 months is $63 ($5.25/month). I want to make this a really excellent value for all of you and I don't think you can get a more detailed plan for this price.

If you'd like to subscribe: Simply email me and let me know how many months you'd like to subscribe for (3, 6, or 12) and how you'd prefer to pay (PayPal, email transfer or cheque) and we'll get it all set up. The first set of menu plans will be going out to subscribers on July 5th!

Wouldn't it be nice to never worry about what you're going to make for dinner again?

Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Monday, June 17, 2013

Weekly Menu Retrospective #111

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes,
check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here.    

[sorry, no page numbers today - I'm blogging on the fly and don't have my book index with me!]

Breakfasts:

Granola with yogurt, Chocolate Banana Muffins, French toast (plus a free pancake breakfast on Father's Day courtesy of the Westdale BIA)

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza, scrambled eggs and salad

Dinners:

Monday: Beef & Vegetable Coconut Curry (variation of this recipe)
  
Tuesday: Chickpeas with Potatoes and Peas, green salad

Wednesday: Lime & Garlic Chicken, Quinoa Tabbouleh (recipe coming soon!), cream of asparagus soup

Thursday: Macaroni & Cheese with peas and carrots

Friday: Pork with roasted vegetables and creamy mustard sauce
  
Saturday: Spicy Black Bean Bake

Sunday: Italian-Style Baked Pasta, tossed salad, breadsticks, lime coconut squares

In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut oil (in granola), olive oil, raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, cane sugar,  mustard, tamari, cinnamon, oregano, ginger, cumin, black pepper, parsley, paprika, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, carrots, onions, red peppers, asparagus, cucumbers, salsa (home-canned), ground beef, pork and bacon (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk

Local AND organic:
sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegarpopcornwhole wheat flour, all-purpose flour

Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my new "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.  

SOUTHERN ONTARIO READERS: Tired of figuring out what to make for dinner? Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I have a free sample available, so email me if you'd like a copy!   

Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Friday, June 14, 2013

Top 5 Food Deals: June 14-20, 2013


Welcome to this Friday's roundup of the "Top 5" food deals in my area for the coming week. While some of the deals will be exclusive to the Hamilton area, many of them will be available throughout most or all of Ontario, depending on the stores involved in a particular sale. Sale prices end June 20th unless otherwise noted.

Here are my picks for this week:

1. Lactantia butter
2/$5 at Metro - this is the third week running that name brand butter has been on sale for a great price. I can't remember the last time I saw butter on sale for $2.50/lb!

2. Ontario red or green leaf lettuce
$1.29 each at Metro, $1 each at Freshco (Freshco sale ends June 19).

3. Ontario asparagus
Ontario asparagus is $1.97/lb at No Frills again this week and $1.99/lb at Fortinos

4. Ontario zucchini
Ontario zucchini are now available and on sale this week for $0.99/lb at Fortinos

5. Live lobsters
Lobster is not something I buy too much of on our food budget :) However, this week they are $5.99/lb at Fortinos, half the regular price. Seeing as how it's Father's Day this weekend, this would be a great way to treat the dads in your life.

Happy shopping! 

Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I now have a free sample menu available, so email me if you'd like a copy! 

Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Simple Things I Love #2: My Cast Iron Pans


There's a lot of talk these days about using safer, more environmentally friendly pans. There have been a lot of new lines of cookware come out in the past few years that are being marketed as "green" choices. I happen to think that the best pans are the ones that have been around for over 100 years: Cast iron.

Considering I've been cooking since I was old enough to hold a wooden spoon, it took me a while to become a cast iron convert. I didn't grow up with cast iron cookware, and I didn't know anyone else who used cast iron pans, either. For a while, I was intrigued by the idea of cast iron, yet intimidated by it because everything I read gave me the impression they were hard to care for.

I actually bought my first cast iron pan over 20 years ago (the smallest one with the wooden handle in the photo). I think I paid $5 for it at IKEA (as far as I can tell, they don't sell these anymore). This was before we even got married! I do remember using it a bit, and taking it on camping trips, but for some reason it eventually got stuck in the back of the cupboard and gathered dust for a decade or so. Thankfully, I never got rid of it during either of our pre-move purges.

Fast forward to a couple summers ago when I picked up the mid-size pan (bottom right in the photo) at a yard sale for $5. It is definitely an older, well seasoned pan and I was excited to find it. I really wanted to start using cast iron pans on a regular basis, but again for some strange reason I felt a bit intimidated.

Thankfully I got over it and have now been using both of the pans pictured on a daily basis for a couple of years. We added the largest pan in the photo about 6 months ago - I bought that one new for just under $30 at a Canadian Tire 65% off sale (gotta love those!). Of the three pans, it's my least favourite. You'll notice it doesn't look as glossy as the other two, which both have the wonderful dark patina of a well-seasoned pan. The newer one doesn't have as smooth of a surface and I'm finding it hard to get it well seasoned. Still, I'll take it over any of the ceramic-coated pans I've owned, hands-down.

So, why do I love these pans so much?

They are very safe to cook with: No nasty coatings, and you can even increase the iron content of your foods by cooking in cast iron!

They will take whatever you can dish out: You can use metal utensils when cooking, and scrape away at them hard if you get something stuck on them.

They will last several generations: Lodge, one of the best-known makers of cast iron cookware, has been making cast iron pans since 1896 and apparently some of the original pieces are still in use today. Considering as how my other fry pans typically lasted 2-3 years at the most with daily use, that is simply amazing!

They produce great results: The combination of my gas stove and cast iron pans means I can get some seriously crispy crunchy coatings when I'm pan frying. The nice thick bottoms mean foods don't get easily burnt or scorched (which can definitely happen when using flimsy cookware over a gas flame!)

They are easy to clean and care for: This point is ironic as it's what held me back from discovering the wonders of cast iron for so long. Really, it is no big deal at all to look after these pans. Ideally, you shouldn't use soapy water on them, as that will wear down the seasoning, but I do use a bit now and then when a pan is really nasty. Some people recommend re-seasoning them with oil after every use, but I don't find that to be necessary at all - probably because most of our meals start with a couple tablespoons of either butter or olive oil in the pan :) Once you've been using your pans for a while, you'll know when they need a bit of a reboot - I find mine only need it once a month at the most. Yes, my large pan above *does* need some reseasoning action! I have found coconut oil works really well for seasoning my pans, other people have different opinions about what works best! Some basic instructions on how to care for and season your cast iron pan can be found here. Even if your pan becomes a rusted-out mess (or you find one at a yard sale in that condition), it can still be saved! See this tutorial on how to clean up a rusty pan.

Despite how much I love my cast iron pans, I'm willing to admit they have two drawbacks:

1. They are HEAVY! It's difficult to lift my largest pan with one hand if I'm trying to drain fat out of it, or tip out the last portion of a skillet meal.

2. The handles get HOT - so you need to use an oven mitt while cooking (the wooden handle on my small pan eliminates this problem).

I think these two minor drawbacks are far outweighed by all their benefits. We now cook exclusively with these 3 pans and I've said goodbye to those ceramic pans. I like thinking about the possibility of my kids or grandkids someday cooking food for their families in these exact pans (yeah, I'm a romantic, what can I say?)

Are you a cast iron aficionado? Or curious about giving them a try now?

(And no, this post is not sponsored in any way by Lodge or anyone else - I just love my cast iron!)

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Monday, June 10, 2013

Weekly Menu Retrospective #110


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes,
check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here.    

Breakfasts:

Granola (p. 92) with yogurt, Rhubarb Streusel Muffins (p. 97), Blueberry Clafouti (p. 223)

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza

Dinners:

Monday: Beef & Veggie Saute with Orange Sauce over brown rice
  
Tuesday: OUT for dinner - boys on their own!

Wednesday: Lemon & Garlic Chicken (p. 184), Easy Oven Fries (p. 194), Creamy Cucumber Salad (p. 205)   

Thursday: Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup (p. 162). cornbread (p. 212)

Friday: Spinach frittata, roasted asparagus
  
Saturday: Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas and Carrots (p.146)

Sunday: Pork chops with spicy rub, baked potatoes, tossed salad, butter tart squares

In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut oil (in granola), raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, cane sugar,  mustard, tamari, cinnamon, oregano, ginger, cumin, black pepper, parsley, paprika, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, carrots, onions, red peppers, asparagus, cucumbers, salsa (home-canned), ground beef, pork, sausage and bacon (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk

Local AND organic:
sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegarpopcornwhole wheat flour, all-purpose flour

Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my new "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.  

SOUTHERN ONTARIO READERS: Tired of figuring out what to make for dinner? Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I'll have a free sample available in just a few days, so email me if you'd like a copy!  
Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Friday, June 7, 2013

Top 5 Food Deals: June 7th-13th, 2013

 

Last Friday I kicked off a new series featuring the best food deals from the weekly sales flyers. Every Friday, I will be posting a roundup of the "Top 5" food deals in my area for the coming week. While some of the deals will be exclusive to the Hamilton area, many of them will be available throughout most or all of Ontario, depending on the stores involved in a particular sale. Sale prices end June 13th unless otherwise noted.

Here are my picks for this week:

1. Armstrong cheese
$3.66 for the 500 g bars at No Frills - this is an extremely low, rarely-seen price for this product, so it's a good time to stock up!

2. Lantic sugar
 2 kg bags are 2/$3.00 at Food Basics. This is another rarely-seen low price, so it's the perfect opportunity to stock up for the upcoming jamming season.

3. Asparagus
Ontario asparagus is $1.97/lb at No Frills

4. Sweet peppers
Ontario sweet peppers (red, orange and yellow) are $1.99/lb at Fortinos

5. Oasis juice
$1.99 for the 1.75L carton at Fortinos. This is another great price that doesn't come along too often, so stock up!


Happy shopping! 
 
Want ALL the best weekly deals, plus menu plans and grocery lists based on what's on sale and in season? I will be launching a new weekly budget menu plan service in early July, featuring the best weekly deals and seasonal foods in Southern Ontario. I'll have a free sample available starting early next week, so email me if you'd like a copy! 
 
Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

An Effective, Cheap and Natural Way to Treat Seasonal Allergies


There are so many things to love about spring - the warm sunny days, the return of garage sales, watching the garden burst into life again. One thing that tends to put a damper on all this goodness is the sniffles and sneezes of spring allergies. Three out of the four members of my family deal with this issue (my younger son is the lucky one who's been spared). For years I have been looking for a natural treatment that was both affordable *and* effective. This year I think I've finally found it. A friend of mine had been urging me to try nettles for at least a couple of years now, and while I was a little slow to follow her advice, this year I made a point of brewing up some nettle tincture before the allergy season started. I wanted to use the tincture for a while to see how well it worked before sharing it here. It has been very effective for all three members of my family that use it, so now that I've gotten good results I feel compelled to pass along our experience. While it does take some time to brew up a tincture, you can have some ready to deal with those later-in-the-season allergies!

Nettles grow wild across North America and most of the rest of the world, too, so if you know how to identify them, you can gather them for free (always be sensible when foraging and never ingest anything unless you're certain you know what it is!) They are also available for purchase at many health food stores and online at Mountain Rose Herbs (yes, that is an affiliate link). Mountain Rose sells 4 ounces of organic nettle leaf (enough to roughly fill a quart Mason jar) for just $3.00.

Nettles are a plant that herbalists believe to have extensive health benefits; if you want to learn about their many other uses there is a good summary here. And remember that, even though they are a natural substance, nettles do have the potential to produce side effects and interact with other drugs and natural treatments, so always consult your healthcare practitioner before using them.

While you can make nettle leaf tea, it's far too "green" tasting for me! I decided to make a tincture instead, which is very simple to do. A tincture is defined as "a medicine made by dissolving a drug in alcohol". In this case, our "drug" is stinging nettle. When making an herbal tincture, you can use precise measurements, or use the "wing it" approach (I chose the latter). This is so simple to do it will only take you about 2 minutes - I got mine brewing while I was talking to my herb-loving friend on the phone!

The simplest way to make a nettle tincture:
  •  Fill a clean quart Mason jar half to 2/3 full of nettle leaves (I used about half of my 4 oz bag) 
  • Pour vodka over top until it just covers the nettles (make sure all the nettles are under the vodka)    
  • Cover and place in a dark, cool cupboard. Check it after a couple of days to make sure all the nettles are still below the vodka, and add a bit more vodka if needed.   
  • Let the mixture "brew" for about 4 weeks.  
  • Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth and pour the mixture through the strainer into a clean glass measuring cup. Once all the liquid has been poured out, gather the cheesecloth around the nettles and squeeze to get out any remaining liquid.

If you have a glass dropper bottle (like the one pictured above that I got from Mountain Rose), this is the best thing to keep tinctures in for dosing them. The remaining tincture can be stored in a clean Mason jar placed back in that dark, cool cupboard.

The total cost for a batch of nettle tincture is roughly $15-20 dollars depending on what brand of vodka you're using (no need to get a pricey one for this purpose!) It will last for quite a while as you take it in small doses. I'm guessing this amount would probably get one person through most of allergy season (4-5 months or so). Compare that to the cost of over-the-counter or prescription medications (or even standard homeopathics or other natural alternatives). It's quite a bargain :)

I have been taking one dropperful of tincture 3 times a day diluted in a small glass of water, which seems to alleviate my allergy symptoms quite well (the effect seems to wear off after about 6 hours, which is what usually prompts me to take another dose!!)

Anyone else out there have experience using nettles to treat allergies? Or have you gotten any other health benefits from using them?

Monday, June 3, 2013

Weekly Menu Retrospective #109

Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

If you'd like a whole book full of inexpensive, quick and kid-approved recipes,
check out my book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) on Amazon (Amazon.com, Amazon.ca and Amazon UK) and Barnes and Noble.  It's gotten multiple 5 star reviews!! I've included page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you can locate them quickly. For more details about the book, go here.    

Breakfasts:

Granola (p. 92) with yogurt, Orange Pineapple Muffins (p. 100), scrambled eggs and toast

Lunches: 
leftovers, sandwiches, pizza

Dinners:

Monday: Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Vegetable Sauce, tossed salad
  
Tuesday: Lemon & Garlic Chicken (p. 184), roasted asparagus, baked potatoes, peanut butter chocolate brownies (my birthday dinner!)

Wednesday: Black Bean Chili (p.160), tossed salad

Thursday: Spinach & Sausage Frittata, leftover asparagus from Tuesday

Friday: Hummus & Veggie Wraps (p.122), tossed salad

Saturday: Toad-in-the-Hole (p.180), peas with butter and chives

Sunday: Roasted pork loin with creamy mustard sauce, roasted potatoes, tossed salad, Raspberry Cream Cheese Squares

In keeping with my local and organic challenge, I'd also like to note the local and/or organic items on this week's menu:

Organic: coconut (in granola), coconut oil (in granola), raisins, sunflower and pumpkin seeds (in granola), flax seeds, lemons, raspberries, blueberries, coffee (locally roasted and delivered by bike!), cornstarch, cane sugar,  mustard, tamari, cinnamon, oregano, ginger, cumin, black pepper, parsley, paprika, Fairytale tea, peppermint tea, lemon balm, oatstraw

Local: potatoes, carrots, onions, red peppers, asparagus, cucumbers, salsa (home-canned), ground beef, chicken, sausage and bacon (from VG Meats), honey (unpasteurized), milk

Local AND organic: peanut butter,
sesame seeds (used to top bread loaves), oats, milk (used to make yogurt), eggs (not "certified organic", but real free range and fed organic feed), apple cider vinegarpopcornwhole wheat flour, all-purpose flour

Want to know more about the specific food products I use and where I buy them? Check out my new "What's In My Pantry" board on Pinterest.  I will keep this board updated with current information on what products we use, where we're buying them, and how much we're paying. It's a work-in-progress, and you can find it HERE.

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com. 

DID YOU KNOW? I now have an events page! Come find out where you can catch up with me at a signing, seminar, workshop or food demo HERE.

Love what you read here? Find out how you can help support this blog. 

Want to stay connected in between blog posts?

Click HERE to follow me on Pinterest 

Click HERE to follow me on Twitter

Click HERE to like Abundance on a Dime on Facebook and get updates and tips on living frugally

Click HERE to like Cheap Appétit on Facebook and get updates and tips on frugal eating and cooking
Related Posts with Thumbnails