Pantry Meal - No Spend Challenge - Copycat Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup

I spent last evening sorting through six pounds of pinto beans that were the last in a 12-pound bag. I sorted through the beans while sort of watching a movie. It was just background noise, but before I knew it, I had gone through six pounds of beans instead of just one pound. I soaked a pound overnight. Earlier in the day, I prepared tortilla dough, de-boned a rotisserie chicken and I made a green chili chicken filling for enchiladas. 

I was not hungry when dinner rolled around because I did a lot of taste testing while cooking, but Number One Husband was a happy camper after eating his dinner. I used mini cast iron pans to re-heat single serving sides in the oven while baking the enchiladas.

I hopped out of bed this morning, made a cup of tea and started making tortillas. I rinsed the soaked beans and prepared them for the electric pressure cooker. I waited until noon before I started the beans. I wanted full sun on our solar panels before I cooked the beans, so the electric pressure cooker wouldn't tax our solar system. Meanwhile, I started putting together the enchiladas. 

I turned the beans into refried beans. I used the blender to make smooth restaurant quality
refried beans using our homemade beef tallow. I forgot to take a picture. I had some rice and
 leftover salsa in the freezer, so I made Spanish rice.

I am getting better at making tortillas. These were my best ones so far. 
I think that I have finally figured out the dough and cooking process.

The sauce is made with chicken, sour cream, green chilies and
homemade cream of chicken soup.

I divided the recipe between two pans. One for the freezer 
and one for dinner. We have plenty of leftovers from dinner.

Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup

1 C cold milk

1/3 C Flour

1 Tsp chicken bouillon

Whisk cold milk and flour together while cooking over medium heat. Add chicken bouillon and continue whisking until smooth and thickened. 

I'm putting together some freezer meals, so I won't have to spend too much time in the kitchen while our guests are visiting. I'm not sure what the agenda will be, but I will be prepared for whatever pops up. No Spend = No Eating out!

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Out My Kitchen Window - No Spend Challenge Update

We captured this little falcon on camera hunting ground squirrels. This little bird
 tried to rip one of my six-pound hens head off. It didn't succeed, but 
caused some damage. Thankfully the hen recovered. It is a mighty hunter.

 

I've been working pretty hard organizing things around the house. As far as the no spend portion of this challenge, I wouldn't say that we have failed, but we can do better. We have company coming over the holiday weekend, so that will challenge our challenge for sure.

I have spent time organizing our pantry and freezers, meal planning and finding new recipes in order to use up what we have on hand without becoming food fatigued. I have been making pantry shakes from my homemade yogurt. They are a real healthy treat. I like to add oats and nuts for added protein. 

I found a jar of quinoa that I don't remember when I purchased it, so I tested a small batch to see if it was edible or food for the chickens. Sorry chickens, it was just fine. I also started a grocery list. The best time to make an honest grocery list is when you are eating through your freezer and pantry. Now I just need to make a menu for a fun Memorial weekend with our guests. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

No Spend Challenge and a Reset...

We started where we left off on our last challenge as far as organizing. We both came down with the flu the last time, so we had to abandon the physical portion of the challenge. We completed the no spend portion, however, like I have said before "There is more to this challenge than not spending money." 

After a couple of days of cleaning and organizing we decided to take an afternoon off and go for a ride. I hadn't even driven the car since we got it. So off we went with no particular destination in mind. Number One Husband snapped some pictures for me while I drove.

A view of Pike's Peak in the distance.

Freshly painted lines.

Twin lakes

The drive was a nice distraction. A reset of sorts.

Mount Massive

Today was a busy day full of re-organizing and moving things around. I was behind on my expense journal, so I was able to play catch up while dinner was cooking. I made a big pot of Carne Guisada and rice for dinner. We have plenty of leftovers for a quick meal and enough for a freezer meal if we don't finish it off. 

I hope to make a big batch of freezer biscuits, apple bread and sandwich bread tomorrow. I'm not sure what part of the challenge I will tackle tomorrow. Dresser drawers perhaps...

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

Grocery Shopping for No Spend Challenge - Pantry Challenge

Well, we picked up the basics from the store that included some fresh vegetables (carrots, lettuce, potatoes, bell peppers, garlic and cabbage, frozen berries and dairy (milk and sour cream). I didn't get everything on my list, but Number One Husband picked out a few things that weren't on the list. We broke the first rule of shopping, DO NOT GO HUNGRY!

This is one of Number One Husband's picks that helped jack up our bill. 
At least it was a healthy choice. Dave's Killer Bread is a real treat for us.

We ended up spending a whopping $80 bucks, but for the most part it will see us through the first month of the challenge and part of the second month. We could have spent a little less if we had stuck to our list. In all fairness, we should have shopped over two weeks ago. This also impacted what we had to spend. Dave's Killer Bread was over $6 for 8 buns. Ouch!

The vegetables available were not great quality vegetables. In fact, I spent a lot of time picking through the offerings. Some were in such poor shape that I didn't purchase any of them. I just decided to do without. 

I have started hearing about shortages and higher prices popping up here and there, so I decided to check on a few things to see if it was true or not. I must say that there were higher prices especially in the meat department. Canned fruits and vegetables also had sizable increases. 

As far as shortages, there were limited supplies on the shelves in many areas and there were items missing altogether. We will all have to learn to make do again until the situations causing these issues are resolved. If we refuse to buy low quality produce maybe there will be a change in the greedy corporations' policies. 

The store that we went to has a small long term food storage section on the end of and isle. The shelves were pretty bare. I buy tomato powder from this section, and they only had two bags left. I use the tomato powder in addition to chicken bouillon. I like the combo, but what is available at stores has MSG included in the ingredients and that does not work for us, so I found a solution with better ingredients.

Pantry Meals - Baked Oatmeal

We will need to pick up milk in a couple of weeks for yogurt and kefir and maybe some fresh produce if they have anything decent available. Other than that, hopefully nothing else will come up. One of our old hens laid an egg this morning. I hope the others follow suit. 

I'm in the process of using up what is in the pantry, however since we just completed this challenge about 6 months ago there are not a lot of lost items that have been shoved behind newer purchases. This fact will impact our grocery bill unless I missed somethings the first time around. I enjoy a good challenge! Happy hunting to everyone in the midst of a pantry challenge...

Mrs. Smith

No Spend Challenge is Back!

We have had a lot of extra expenses lately, so we want to rein in our finances and recoup some of our savings by challenging ourselves to a No Spend Month. We may even go two months. We will only spend money for the bills and our basic needs. 

We have done this challenge before. No Spend Challenge Plan There are plenty of free resources out there to guide you through a challenge. We used Ruth Soukup's book 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero. 

You can find out about some our experiences here: 31 Day of Living Well and Spending Zero. For us, we have already gone through this challenge, so we have a leg up so to speak. We will need to put in some fresh produce in order to make it through a month like carrots, cabbage, potatoes and onions. We only shop bi-monthly for fresh produce and dairy. Now that we have a fuel-efficient vehicle, we will now only have to shop for fresh foods and fill up on gas monthly. Yea!

I used the last of our fresh vegetables in Refrigerator Soup when I cleaned out the refrigerator in preparation for out next fresh food run. We will also need to purchase milk for our milk kefir grains and yogurt. In other words, we will keep our spending at a minimum until the challenge is over. 

This may seem like an easy challenge, but it's not. There is a lot more to it than not shopping. This challenge has us take a look at our expenses and everything we own to decide on its value and if it is important enough keep it around. It also includes activities like organizing and cleaning. 

I started this challenge by making a list of the things I wanted to achieve this week, I planned out our meals and I paid our monthly bills early, so that I could see our financials more clearly. Last night, I made a batch of yogurt and soaked some thick cut oats for baked oatmeal. I also put together a Kettle Pizza and baked it this morning for breakfast. Yes, breakfast! I prepared rice for the week and froze the excess. I made High Protein Rotis this afternoon. I will soak beans overnight and cook them tomorrow.

 

Meal prepping helps especially if you are prone to eating out. We rarely eat out, but I like to meal prep so I can easily put a healthy meal together without much effort on busy days or on days when I do not want to cook. Freezer meals also help on those days. Planning saves time, effort, money and reduces waste. 

The weather is perfect for baking and cooking. It is raining and snowing all week. I am grateful for the moisture. Hopefully the spring rains will get us through until the monsoon season starts. If it starts, I should say. 

I hope to share new affordable recipes and our experiences on the blog during our No Spend Challenge. I also hope that our experiences will encourage others who want to participate in a challenge such as this one. 

Shalom,

Mrs. Smith

  

No Spend Challenge - Make A Plan

The economy has changed fast in the last few months. If you don't change with it, you will be chewed up and spit out of the worst end of it. There are changes that can be made easily, like saving on your electric bill by turning down the heat a couple of degrees or reducing your water usage by turning off the tap while brushing your teeth or while doing the dishes. 

There are bigger, more challenging changes that can be made by reducing your consumption of disposable goods and turning the monies into a specific goal like an emergency savings fund or a debt payoff plan. If you are already in an emergency, like a lot of people find themselves in right now, then this may help you to stay afloat. 

I am talking about No-spend plans or challenges. That's right, Starbucks, you have been cut off... 

What Is a No-Spend Plan or Challenge?

A no spend-plan or challenge is going for a specific length of time without spending money on non-essentials with a specific goal in mind.

Make A Plan

1. Write down how much you spend, what you spend your money on and where you spend it for an entire month. I think you will be surprised how much you actually spend and on what. 

2. Take a realistic look at your expenditures. 

3. Break down your list into needs and wants.

4. Create a budget using only the "needs" side of your list. 

5. Write down your plan/goals and choose a time frame for your new adventure now that you know the reality of your financial condition.

6. Stick to your budget no matter how much you want a new pair of shoes, even if they are a "good    deal". 

Your new motto is, "Use it up, wear it out, use it again or do without."

During the Great Depression, people had no choice but to learn how to "Use it up, wear it out, use it again or do without." They had absolutely no choice in the matter. It was the difference between life and death for most of the population around the world. It's hard to imagine in this day and age, but many have found themselves in this same situation right now in places like the UK, Argentina, Venezuela, Lebanon, Zimbabwe and I dare say the US. 

There are 18 million people in Argentina who cannot afford basic needs. They cannot buy food and pay rent. Some live in airports so they can eat while others are eating what they can scavenge from the dump. Can you imagine having to feed your children from the food you find at the dump? 

If you are already in a crisis or teetering on the edge of one take charge now by making the hard choices while you still have a choice to make. Denile will only add to your misery, but you can lessen the misery by making strong and deliberate choices now. 

I believe that we are in a make-or-break situation all around the world as far as the economy goes. It's hard to know for sure if what we are seeing in the global economy due to misinformation. With that being said, you know your situation. You know what the balance of your bank account is and the stress you are having just trying to cover your basic needs.

Basic Needs

What are basic needs? Water, food, and shelter are the most basic needs in order to survive. You cannot survive for very long without these three needs being met. There are other types of basic needs like medical care, daycare, transportation, insurances and utilities. 

Now that you have an idea of what needs look like take a realistic look at your plan again. Make changes if necessary.  

What is a Want?

If you Want it and you Can live without it, then it is a want...

What's Next

Move forward. You can't change the past, but you can move forward and has a say in your future. Put your No Spend Plan in motion. Get your debt paid down or fund your emergency savings. Whatever your goals are you got this! 

Freebies

An easy search on Google will produce a plethora of free pintables like monthly budget planners and household planners that can help you stay on track. There is no need to spend money on expensive planners even though they are pretty, shiny and new. People have generously created free pintables to help others out. 

My Hope

I believe that the financial crisis is just getting started and I believe that this is the time to tighten up our belts. We have to look at the facts that the working-class people are suffering. Foodbanks in the US are underfunded and overtaxed by the vast needs of so many people. Mile(s) long lines are the norm these days that can take hours to get through. We have a very large problem when so many people cannot afford to buy food, pay rent or utilities. As this financial crisis continues, getting outside help will become harder and harder. As the medical crisis comes to an end the financial assistance is also diminishing even though its long-lasting effects are still being felt by most Americans. My hope is that my blog would help and encourage you in some way.

Mrs. Smith