$1 Meals - Sharing My Ideas

 

Number One Husband made breakfast for us the other day. I was thinking about the cost and realized that it was less than a $1 per meal. It was a simple meal of hashbrowns and toasted homemade bread. That's it. Simple and filling. 

This was a lot of food. We could have gotten three or four servings out of the hashbrowns, but they were really good, and it was nearly 11 am and we hadn't eaten yet. I could have easily added a couple of eggs or homemade breakfast sausage and would have stayed within a $1 budget. 

I have decided to do a series sharing ideas for $1 meals. The meals that I share will not include the cost of pantry items like spices or fats used to prepare the meals. Most people have these items on hand, and the cost is nominal. 

My hope is to help everyone who is struggling in this economy and to share a little wisdom during tough times. Knowledge is a powerful tool and is easily obtained in this day and age. 

Mrs. Smith

 

Preparing For the Sabbath - Meal Preps

I really thought I was finished with cooking for the week except for baking bread. I realized that unless I wanted to use up a large portion of my freezer meals, I would need to prepare more foods for the Sabbath.

I defrosted some split chicken breast, started the bread and made plenty of side dishes. I made coleslaw, baked beans and potato salad to go with our BBQ chicken that I baked in the oven. Unfortunately, it was too windy outside to grill. I saved half of the breasts in hopes that Number One Husband could grill out on Sunday if the weather cooperates.

I finished up with cleaning the house after the food was prepared. I spent a bit of time yesterday cleaning before my girlfriend picked me up for an afternoon of thrift shopping. We had a good time and we both found a few items that we were looking for. 

Afterwards, we had a meal of homemade soup that she brought to share, and I made tostadas to round out the meal. All three of us were hungry and ready to eat. It was nice to have healthy foods ready to eat when we got home. All I had to do was heat everything up. The last time that I ate out with a friend, it was $70 bucks just for lunch for the two of us. So, meal prepping pays off especially when hungry. 

Delicious!

Shabbat Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Batch Cooking

My fridge is empty. I have a cheese, carrots, celery and condiments. I need to get to the store and pick up the basics. I only have ingredients on hand. It's time to catch up on batch cooking some freezer meals. I started with tamales. We were completely out. It's a two-day process for me. I prepare the homemade stock, meat and sauce on the first day. On the second day I put the tamales together and steam them.

39 Tamales

Next, I cooked a pot of brown beans and rice in my Saratoga Jacks thermal cooker. It is the first time that I have tried beans in the thermal cooker. I usually cook beans in my electric pressure cooker. Beans do not cook well at high altitudes, and they did not cook well in the thermal cooker. I reheated the beans and allowed them to continue cooking in the thermal cooker, but I had to finish them on the stove. 

I turned the beans into refried beans.

Perfect rice every time...

I decided that I would work on breakfast for my next task. I batch cooked high protein whole grain waffles and homemade chicken breakfast sausage.

A baker's dozen.

 

Breakfast sausage links - No casings

I needed to focus on main courses next. I started with Carne Guisada, a Mexican stew, that we really love. I will serve it with rice and beans or make burritos once I make tortillas. 

Delicious!

Other than baking bread, I am finished for this week. I will start up production again next week. We made it to the store and picked up fresh fruit and vegetables along with milk from the store. Iceberg lettuce was $2.57 a head. I wanted it for the tostadas I want to make with some of the refried beans I made. I will start some sprouts. I just cannot bring myself to pay these outrageous prices. If we all took a stand prices might drop. A new movement perhaps?

Soaking alfalfa seeds for sprouts.

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Shabbat Shalom!

 

Mrs. Smith

Crispy Cheese Taco Shells - Gluten Free

 

Stack your favorite grated hard cheese and canned corn in circles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure there is enough space between the cheese circles. Bake at 350 degrees 
until crispy. Add green chilies for extra flavor. 

Top with your favorite fillings.

Fold in half to form a taco.

Enjoy!

Mrs. Smith

Our Last Trip

 

We took our last trip before winter high into the mountains. There was a large elk herd outside our room. There were a lot of people really close to the herd. It was unfortunate to see them bothered by them. A couple of cows with calves and one bull bullied them back. It was like they hadn't ever heard of the zoom function on their cameras.

The scenery was absolutely beautiful. It was spitting snow as we packed up to leave and several times on our way home. The very tops of the highest peaks were starting to turn white. We saw the ski slopes getting sprayed with manmade snow as we passed by.  

We ran into four different protests. We only took pictures of one at a stoplight. At another protest someone threw a glass bottle onto the pavement that exploded loudly next to our car.  The smallest protest was high on top of a very cold and windy mountain on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere with about five people. 

I was glad to get back home safe and sound. We promptly unpacked and took a nap. This trip was all about resting and it spilled over after we got back home. I'm headed back to bed for some much-needed sleep. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

A Taste of Winter...

We woke up to the earliest snow that we have ever seen. Is this a precursor to a harsh winter or a one-time event? Only time will tell...

Mrs. Smith