Not kidding. The weather did a full 180. The air is cleared out of the smoke. The temperatures are 30 degrees cooler. Here's the rub though, now that's it is so much cooler we can't open the doors and windows without the furnace kicking on. LOL. Good grief. Speaking of Good Grief (I can hear Beethoven playing in the background) this week's menus owe a lot to the comic strip that made that idiom more well known. Thanks Charles Shulz. You made my week. Here's the menus: Gnom

With the prices of everything going up and up I am getting even more budget conscious. I am sticking with what I know I like so there is less food waste and sticking with what I know is affordable at the same time. Sezme Chicken with Ali Baba Cuban Chickadee with Pellets Silver Darlings with Smoky Mountains Pasta Tamahtah with Leafy Delights Grilled Melty Memoirs with THE WORKS No dictionary for you this time. You are on your own. hee hee hee hee What is red and smells

So, here is this week's menu list. Every dinner except one is made with canned chicken. Don't tell me you didn't see that one coming. LOL. The one exception is of course, the Friday fish thing. Not salmon this week. Doing something different. Surprise!! Hash-Tastic Medley Pasta LaVista Nemo Burgers Cozy Chicka-Little Stew Cluckin' Good Stirrups To repeat that in the yerk version: Sweet Potato Chicken Hash Chicken Pasta Tuna Burgers Chicken Lentil Stew Chicken Stir

I do not eat red met (ie: lamb, beef, pork, rabbit, deer, bison, moose, etc.) What I DO eat is fish and fowl. Fridays are for fish, which is usually salmon, but sometimes mackerel or herring. That's for the Omega3's of course. Only once a week because of the concerns over mercury content, which are pretty low for that type of fish. Overcautious? Probably. Anyway - mostly I eat fowl. Which means chicken for me, because turkey only happens once or twice a year in my house. And

On a budget? Only feeding 1, 2 or 3 people? Wondering whether you should go for canned chicken or fresh? The simple answer to this question is: Yes, canned chicken is generally cheaper than its fresh counterpart. Canned chicken offers cost savings due to its longer shelf life and ease of storage, making it an affordable option for those on a tight grocery budget. Dr. Google says that if you buy the white chicken in a can that is packed in water, and then rinse it, that you ar

What do I mean by economizing? In this case, I am talking about using up what I have in order to save a few bucks and not waste any food. So this week's menus include things left from last week's recipes and snacks and desserts, etc. I really do not like to waste food, but I dislike wasting money even more and food costs money. (More money recently than before, even.) So as I go through posting the menu items, I will explain a little bit so that you can supplement if needed.

So, haven't been blogging much of late. It's so HOT in my office that it's uncomfortable to spend any time in there. I have ordered a portable evaporative cooler to help cool off the kitchen and if it works out I may order another for the bedroom. It's crazy. But I have been trying to keep up with posting the menus each week. Here you go: Macaroni Salad (using Greek Yogurt) and Chicken Patties Pizza (homemade) Greek Lemon Orzo Soup Lemony Salmon with Baked Potatoes and al

I discovered that many people think that a tea bag is to be used just one time, that each tea bag is single use. Not so. Each tea bag can be used for at least 2 cups of tea. I've been doing that for a really long time. Recently, with the situation with decaf coffee I am drinking a lot more tea (or herbals, tinctures, etc.) I am using the term tea quite loosely because we all know tea only comes from actual tea leaves grown in China. Anywho, because of this I am making 'pots'

What is Decaf? Decaffeination is the removal of caffeine from coffee beans, cocoa, tea leaves, and other caffeine-containing materials. Decaffeinated products are commonly termed by the abbreviation decaf. To ensure product quality, manufacturers are required to test the newly decaffeinated coffee beans to make sure that caffeine concentration is relatively low. A caffeine content reduction of at least 97% is required under United States FDA standards. Recently, I was informe

Is this a fish made out of tin? A decoration? A Yard Thing? I heard this expression on a news cast the other morning that was talking about what I thought was health. (?) So I perked up and started paying attention but I guess I had missed the pertinent stuff already. This led me to have to do a web-search. The answer was quick and concise: Tin fish refers to seafood that is preserved and packaged in metal cans, commonly including varieties like tuna, sardines, and mackerel.

When you graduate high school, you might be thinking to yourself, now I can move into my own place and start 'adulting'. Maybe you have waited until you have graduated college. Maybe you just feel like you are ready to 'get out there' on your own. Here's a checklist for you to use to determine if you are really ready for that. Moving Out Readiness Checklist (Ages 18–19 +) Financial Readiness Do I have a steady, reliable source of income? Can I cover rent + utilities + food +

I have been having trouble getting my hands on artichoke hearts. I have tried multiple times and they just are not available. This is a canned good so it surprised me. I ended up doing a web search about this problem and was stunned to learn that we (we meaning the whole world) is in a huge food crisis right now. There was Cyclone Harry that caused a lot of problems over there in Italy, which I had not even heard about. And many of the artichokes we get come from there. The s

This is a new topic for me to post about here. I do not remember ever approaching 'finance' in a general way. Sure I post about budgeting for groceries and how to feed your face and still keep a rug under your feet, but I haven't really talked about how to establish a budget or how to deal with finances. I get it that things are in turmoil right now with inflation, prices way up and trying to keep up with the rising rents. So how does a person just starting out, get started?

I am super conservative when it comes to spending money. I am constantly figuring out ways to save money, to spend less (is that the same thing?) to maintain a tight budget. This applies to everything; clothes, furniture, linens, shoes, socks, office supplies, craft items, and of course food. So I have been doing some comparison 'looking' before shopping. Now that Amazon has food beyond that expensive stuff at Whole Foods, ie: their own brands and stuff, and they offer free

Here is the last post for now on this Series. Keep in mind that the initial cost for items will make the meal cost more than it will next time you make it as well as make other meals cost less. It's up to you if you feel that meal is worth the extra expense and it's also okay to leave out some ingredients. Substitutions are always an option. This is another of my favorite meals. I don't serve this one often because it does cost a little more per serving than many of my other

Hi. This is going to sound like it's expensive, but once you purchase the initial pantry items it is actually budget friendly. What would you consider to be cost effective per serving? $4 ? $2 ? Cooking and eating at home is going to be cheaper no matter what, so start there. If you spend $4 per serving for 4 people that's $16 for one meal. If you do that three times a day that is going to turn out to be $48 per day. And that IS expensive. It's what most people spend current

Yes, you really can feed 2 adults and 2 children on only $40 per week. I am providing the menus for a week plus the grocery list for those menus below. What building in New York has the most stories? The public library. Feed 4 people on about $6 a day or $40 a week. This plan assumes you have a stocked pantry. Items not included in the grocery list are italicized (in the menus) so that you can shop for them if you need to do that. Grocery list: Grains & Breads $4

Starting with these tips. 1. Buy in bulk. 2. Buy less convenience products. Avoid processed and packaged foods, including sodas, crackers, cookies, and candy 3. Plan your meals out. Not eating out, but planning them ahead, creating menus. 4. Choose plant-based protein sources like lentils, beans, and edamame. 5. Always take inventory of your fridge before going to store. 6. Only buy what’s on your list. 7. Shop sales and stock up. 8. Stop eating out for meals – cook at home!

Yeah well, if you are like me you have been trying but it's not been easy. Not with the utilities, not with the insurance, and not with the groceries. I am a frugal person. No doubt about that. But it's getting increasingly hard to buy food that you normally buy, to stock up when things are on sale, and to stick inside the confines of a realistic budget. I am spending more than I used to spend for sure. True, I have started buying things that I did not buy a decade ago in my

The Okinawa diet has gained attention worldwide for its association with longevity and vibrant health. One ingredient that often surprises newcomers to this diet is tofu. If you never thought you would eat tofu, the Okinawa diet might just change your mind. This plant-based protein plays a key role in the traditional eating habits of Okinawa, Japan, and offers many health benefits worth exploring. The Okinawa diet stands out because it emphasizes whole, minimally processed fo