Six full sinks later ...
I've never washed so many dishes in my life.
And all I was doing was cleaning up after a newfound sense of frugality.
See, every time I go to the grocery store, I think about an online poll we posted a few months ago on GazetteXtra.com asking whether rising food prices have changed shopping habits.
Since then, I've asked myself, every time I go to the store, if I'm changing my habits appropriately.
This weekend I put my foot down and busted out the cookbook. I often cook from scratch, but I decided to take it up a notch. My goal: to make (almost) everything from scratch. No more paying companies extra money for fancy packaging and marketing.
Despite what commercials might say, it is cheaper in the long run to make meals from scratch. Yes, it takes an investment up front, but that 89 cent bag of flour is going to last you months. The container of garlic powder? Years.
I've been trying to buy one or two basic ingredients every time I shop, so I have them when I need them.
My first project: homemade veggie burgers. The frozen burgers are convenient when you want a meal on the go, but they cost more than $3 for four burgers.
My plan was to mash a can of black beans (68 cents) and mix in onions, seasoning and a little flour and oatmeal. (The online recipies I found called for bread crumbs, but I rarely have sliced bread around the house. I prefer tortillas. But since oatmeal works in my meatloaf, I figured it would work in bean patties.)
Good plan, right? Until I opened the black beans and realized they were refried, not whole.
I gave it a shot. Turns out when you try to fry black beans into patties, you get a pan full of re-refried beans. I will be eating lumpy bean burritos for lunch all week.
OK. Second plan. Try to make pizza crust from scratch. I already had whole wheat flour. So I made my first-ever yeast purchase. ($1.79 for three packets)
The result? I got flour everywhere. I was a doughy, disheveled mess. But we ended up with four ugly but delicious calzones.
I learned that yeast is all about timing. You can't make the dough and set it aside if you want a thin crust. Turns out that the chemical reaction works just like it's supposed to, and it rises into pan crust.
It's science.
Halfway through the extravaganza, I commented that it would be really tough to spend all day Sunday in the kitchen if I had kids. It's a lot of work. (I made cranberry bread in the middle of the bean/pizza crust debacle.)
With no kids and only one job, I have the time to cook. Not everyone has that option or that priority. But I like to cook. It makes me feel physically and mentally healthy. For a few dollars, it keeps me busy for hours.
I'm going to try again tonight. There's a roast in the crock pot as we speak, and I found a recipe for whole wheat/cottage cheese dinner rolls that I'm really excited about.
I doubt I'll every give up totally on processed foods. But the goal is to make one or two big meals a week and fill the freezer with single servings so I can grab a healthy meal any time.
I rarely cook with recipes, but I guess I'm going to have to learn. Please share!
Oct 21, 2008 at 10:10 p.m.
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I've always worked second shift so I've never been a real big "dinner maker" well when I lost that second shift job I decided to start cooking a little more. My mother in law gets magazines from Kraft foods. They have some amazing reciepes that are cheap and easy. They don't have the ingridents you have no idea where to find. It's all very easy. They have veggie reciepes. There are so many things. I make something new at least a couple times a week. Our house favorite is Mac & Chz Lasagna. It's the cheaper and probably much healthier version. It's really good. Go to Kraftfoods.com and check some out.
Oct 21, 2008 at 10:04 a.m.
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Food Network has a really great website with wonderful recipes. I'm partial to Paula Deen and her Southern recipes. They're probably not super healthy, but still better than fast food! I also really like the Taste of Home magazine. It's people just like you and me contributing their favorite recipes and taste tested by the magazine staff. They also have a very good website. Oh, and if you ever want to duplicate your favorite restaurant recipe, just Google the recipe name and restaurant and you can usually find a similar recipe. I make a version of Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup and my husband says it's much better than the restaurant :)
Oct 21, 2008 at 9:59 a.m.
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Here's the recipe I found on about.com.
Ann Marie
1/2 onion, diced
1 can black beans
1/2 cup flour
2 slices bread, crumbled
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
salt and pepper to taste
oil for frying
Preparation:
Sautee the onions till soft, about 3-5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mash the beans until almost smooth. Add sauteed onions and the rest of the ingredients, except the oil, adding the flour a few tablespoons at a time to combine well. Mixture will be thick.
Form bean mixture into patties, approximately ½ inch thick and fry patties in a small amount of oil until slightly firm. Make veggie burgers and enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Servings: 6
Calories per serving: 294
Calories from Fat: 11
Total Fat: 1.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Sodium: 25mg
Total Carbohydrates: 55.3g
Dietary Fiber: 11.3g, 45% RDA
Protein: 16.8g
Vitamin A 0%, Vitamin C 1%, Calcium 10%, Iron 23%, based on a 2000 calorie diet
Oct 21, 2008 at 9:24 a.m.
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OH - and a bread machine is great!
Oct 21, 2008 at 9:24 a.m.
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I just started an exchange with some friends. one makes soup, one makes a casserole, one a pasta, one a vegetarian dish ...you get the idea - and we make 6 of them to freeze - trade them up once every 2 weeks and you've got your main dish ready to go! The soup for 6 families was about $15.00 and the casserole I made was about $20. for all 6 - great deal!
Oct 21, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
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My tips: 1) Always keep hot sauce on hand. 2)If you can fry it, you can eat it. 3) Learn how to make rice and beans. They go with anything, even if all you have is hot sauce.
Oct 21, 2008 at 7:47 a.m.
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Try these!
Cajun Bean Burgers (Serves 6)
3 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed
1/2 cup minced onions
1/4 cup minced celery
1 large garlic clove, minced finely
1 1/2 cups cooked or canned kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup pecans, chopped coarsely
1 teaspoon tomato paste
Tabasco sauce to taste (a dash is usually enough)
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt to taste
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (more, if you like it really hot)
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
Your favorite burger rolls and condiments
1. In a large pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then add the onions and celery. Cover pan and cook, stirring once in awhile, about 5 minutes until the veggies are softened. Add garlic and cook around 30 seconds, until fragrant but not browned.
2. Place veggies in a food processor along with kidney beans, pecans, tomato paste, Tabasco, thyme, paprika, salt, cayenne, and 1/2 cup of the bread crumbs. Process until well combined, but with some texture still remaining.
3. Place mixture in a bowl and shape into 6 burger patties. Coat patties lightly with remaining 1/4 cup bread crumbs, then cover and place in fridge for at least 30 minutes (this will help the burgers to retain their shape).
4. Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat in a large heavy-bottomed skillet. Add burgers in batches and brown, turning once, about 5 minutes on each side. You may need to add a little more oil.
5. Serve on your favorite toasted burger buns, with condiments if desired.
Oct 21, 2008 at 4:57 a.m.
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Oh man, I LOVE cooking my own food. I've got some great cookbooks with fairly easy recipes...lots of veggies. It's easy enough that I somehow manage to make something pretty much every night, even with a toddler at my feet or strapped to my back. Once he's old enough to hold a knife, he'll be helping out. Indeed you save a lot of money, it's very healthy, and it's fun.
Oct 20, 2008 at 2:39 p.m.
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Would you mind posting or linking the veggie burger receipe?
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