This is another crock pot meal I decided to make in order to help us eat better food without having to wait. Unfortunately, I ended up cutting myself about halfway through, so my husband had to help me finish, but it was worth cutting myself.
First, heat about a Tablespoon of olive oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add one chopped onion and six garlic cloves; cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through.
In a crock pot, combine a third of a cup of tapioca pearls, one sliced bell pepper, the onion mixture, a drained can of artichokes, a teaspoon of crushed rosemary, a teaspoon lemon zest, a half teaspoon of pepper, and one and a half cups of chicken broth. Top with two chicken thighs, and cook on high for four hours or on low for ten hours. Serve with hot rice.
Will and I both liked this. I'm pretty sure he even ate the skin off the chicken, something he never does! This was so simple that I'll definitely do it again.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Tips and Tricks to Stretch Your Grocery Bill
I've heard a lot of people say that they have a lot of trouble keeping their food bills at a reasonable level. I go on a big grocery shopping trip once a month with a few little trips in between, and I spend less than half of what my mother in-law spends on her groceries. Here are a few of my tips and tricks to lower your food bills.
1. Plan a Menu. I've noticed that, when I don't have an exact menu plan set up, I tend to spend more. I attribute this to the fact that when I'm looking for specific items to make a meal, I'm less likely to see something on sale and impulse buy it. It's surprising just how much is saved by just doing that.
2. Go With Your Spouse or Someone Who Lives With You. I tend to forget certain items, like Will's cereal or his protein bars, when he's not with me. I find I tend to forget less when I'm with him than when I'm alone.
3. Don't Go With Someone Who Doesn't Live With You. When I would go grocery shopping with my mother in-law, I would either find that there were extra things in my cart or that I had forgotten things that were on my list. I attribute this to the fact that I would either get distracted by her pointing out sales or the simple chitchat and not pay as close of attention to my list.
4. Do a Detailed Inventory. Have you ever thought you were out of something, only to buy it and come home to discover that you already had the amount you needed? I find that the best way to keep track of this is to make a master list on your refrigerator of items you don't stock every day; if you can include portions, that works even better. As things get depleted, make sure to make note of it. This way, all you have to do is look at your list and write what you're low on into your shopping list.
5. Look at Unit Price When Comparing Different Brands of Items. Sometimes, one brand of product looks cheaper than the usual one. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The way to tell you're getting the best deal, look for the unit price. This is the little square in the top left corner, and should tell you how much per ounce you're paying for. They even have this on sale tags, so you'll know every time that you're getting a great deal.
6. Learn to Utilize Leftovers. One thing that drives me nuts is that I can't buy an individual carrot, so I have to buy a whole bunch. Needless to say, in this case, it's nearly impossible to eliminate waste from occurring. This is a trick I came up with to help combat that. Learn a few recipes for things like celery or carrots that you have to buy in bunches, whether it's sides like making your own stuffing by toasting bread that's getting a little old and adding browned celery, onion, and chicken stock to a pan or a main dish that eats up leftovers, like my carrot casserole or mashed potato soup. This also stretches your menu so you won't have to go shopping as much.
7. Cook Perishable Items First. I know this sounds like common sense, but I can't tell you how many times I've overlooked this simple rule and had food go bad. By using your most perishable food first, you are saving your wallet by not having to pick up more of the rotten item and all of the money you spend on food goes into your stomach and not the trash.
8. Notice a Rotten Patch on Your Produce? Check How Far the Rot Goes and (if You Can) Cut it Off. When you see a rotten piece on your fresh vegetables, do you toss the whole vegetable away? Remember, that's money going in the trash. Also, generally the rot doesn't go to the middle of the vegetable unless it's something narrow, like zucchini. It's perfectly safe to do this; you won't get food poisoning from cutting a rotten piece of vegetable from a vegetable that's otherwise okay. The only exception to this rule would be things that you can't tell where the rot ends, like in tomatoes or potatoes and in mushrooms because when they go bad, even just one part, they release a powerful toxin that doesn't cook out.
1. Plan a Menu. I've noticed that, when I don't have an exact menu plan set up, I tend to spend more. I attribute this to the fact that when I'm looking for specific items to make a meal, I'm less likely to see something on sale and impulse buy it. It's surprising just how much is saved by just doing that.
2. Go With Your Spouse or Someone Who Lives With You. I tend to forget certain items, like Will's cereal or his protein bars, when he's not with me. I find I tend to forget less when I'm with him than when I'm alone.
3. Don't Go With Someone Who Doesn't Live With You. When I would go grocery shopping with my mother in-law, I would either find that there were extra things in my cart or that I had forgotten things that were on my list. I attribute this to the fact that I would either get distracted by her pointing out sales or the simple chitchat and not pay as close of attention to my list.
4. Do a Detailed Inventory. Have you ever thought you were out of something, only to buy it and come home to discover that you already had the amount you needed? I find that the best way to keep track of this is to make a master list on your refrigerator of items you don't stock every day; if you can include portions, that works even better. As things get depleted, make sure to make note of it. This way, all you have to do is look at your list and write what you're low on into your shopping list.
5. Look at Unit Price When Comparing Different Brands of Items. Sometimes, one brand of product looks cheaper than the usual one. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. The way to tell you're getting the best deal, look for the unit price. This is the little square in the top left corner, and should tell you how much per ounce you're paying for. They even have this on sale tags, so you'll know every time that you're getting a great deal.
6. Learn to Utilize Leftovers. One thing that drives me nuts is that I can't buy an individual carrot, so I have to buy a whole bunch. Needless to say, in this case, it's nearly impossible to eliminate waste from occurring. This is a trick I came up with to help combat that. Learn a few recipes for things like celery or carrots that you have to buy in bunches, whether it's sides like making your own stuffing by toasting bread that's getting a little old and adding browned celery, onion, and chicken stock to a pan or a main dish that eats up leftovers, like my carrot casserole or mashed potato soup. This also stretches your menu so you won't have to go shopping as much.
7. Cook Perishable Items First. I know this sounds like common sense, but I can't tell you how many times I've overlooked this simple rule and had food go bad. By using your most perishable food first, you are saving your wallet by not having to pick up more of the rotten item and all of the money you spend on food goes into your stomach and not the trash.
8. Notice a Rotten Patch on Your Produce? Check How Far the Rot Goes and (if You Can) Cut it Off. When you see a rotten piece on your fresh vegetables, do you toss the whole vegetable away? Remember, that's money going in the trash. Also, generally the rot doesn't go to the middle of the vegetable unless it's something narrow, like zucchini. It's perfectly safe to do this; you won't get food poisoning from cutting a rotten piece of vegetable from a vegetable that's otherwise okay. The only exception to this rule would be things that you can't tell where the rot ends, like in tomatoes or potatoes and in mushrooms because when they go bad, even just one part, they release a powerful toxin that doesn't cook out.
Saturday, October 5, 2013
Curry Goat Chops: Take a Long Time, But Taste Amazing
Will's mom gave us some goat loin chops. While I do have recipes for goat, I also realized I didn't have any of the things to make it. Then I realized I had red curry paste that needed to get used up.
First, put your loin chops in a bowl and spread red curry paste all over them to coat. Heat your barbeque and get a smoker box filled with wood chips; we used trimmings from our grapefruit tree, and it's wonderful. Once your grill is heated to a low temperature, put your chops out there. Cook them on a low heat for an hour and a half, turning once. Make sure the smoker box is in the barbeque, but also keep an eye out to make sure the wood inside smolders instead of catching fire. If you want to grill some vegetables, this recipe would be a perfect opportunity to do so.
We served this with baked potatoes and spanakopita, but really you could serve this with anything. Will and I both loved it, because the meat cut like butter; you hardly needed a knife. Next time, though, I'm going to ask Will to use his method, which he learned while he was working in Argentina.
First, put your loin chops in a bowl and spread red curry paste all over them to coat. Heat your barbeque and get a smoker box filled with wood chips; we used trimmings from our grapefruit tree, and it's wonderful. Once your grill is heated to a low temperature, put your chops out there. Cook them on a low heat for an hour and a half, turning once. Make sure the smoker box is in the barbeque, but also keep an eye out to make sure the wood inside smolders instead of catching fire. If you want to grill some vegetables, this recipe would be a perfect opportunity to do so.
We served this with baked potatoes and spanakopita, but really you could serve this with anything. Will and I both loved it, because the meat cut like butter; you hardly needed a knife. Next time, though, I'm going to ask Will to use his method, which he learned while he was working in Argentina.
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