Meal Stretcher Monday - Bread

Due to the drought conditions around our country, groceries are going up in price. Again. This is perfectly understandable, but also a cause for long-term concern. Remember when the gas prices shot up, then food prices shot up, then gas prices fell, then food prices...didn't? Yeah. I find myself scared that this is happening again.

Fittingly enough, it's time for...MEAL STRETCHER MONDAY! This is my weekly attempt to make some recipe that will save us grocery money in the long run. This week: bread!
Note: this is coming out on a Tuesday. Sorry! Our internet failed yesterday, so I'm a day late.

I have been trying to find a bread recipe that can mimic the springy quality of the store bought bread that we use for sandwiches/toast/etc around here.

Seeing as how I'm not terribly skilled at making bread...this could take me a while.

The recipe for this attempt comes from The Progressive Pioneer and claims to be no-fail. Hm... Let's give it a go!

Ingredients:
7 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
2 (heaping) Tbsp olive oil (or lecithin granules - which I don't own)
3.5 cups warm water
1.5 tsp yeast
1/4 cup honey

First, I mixed the warm water and honey together, then sprinkled the yeast over the top, then got distracted by the kids for a few minutes.

Next, I mixed half of the flour (3.5 cups), the salt, and the olive oil in the bowl of my mixer and stirred it together, slowly adding the yeast mixture.

Once it was mixed into a smooth batter, I added the remaining flour and switched to the dough hook.
The Progressive Pioneer recommended mixing for 7 minutes. I have no idea how long I mixed, because the kids managed took that moment to mutiny. Next time, seven minutes for sure.

After the mixing, my dough was a little less stretchy than it should have been (probably from over-kneading), but still looked good. I split the dough between my only two bread pans and baked.

Look at that deliciousness! You want to bite the screen, don't you? Yeah, you do.

It's tasty, it's springy, it's filling, it cuts beautifully without crumbling. I'm in love. Okay, my preschooler won't eat it because it's not exactly like the store-bought kind, but the toddler and I have been demolishing it. Amazing.

Get Competing Estimates

A few days ago my husband was painting the upstairs hallway when he bumped the ladder and sent it crashing through the lower pane of our double hung window. $%&*$#.

Husband called Home Depot for an estimate to fix or replace it. Two people responded: one from a sub-contractor, and one from Home Depot itself.

Estimate #1 - Sub-Contractor
This guy was the first to show, and he gave us three options:
1) Replace the glass = $60. (Just the glass - not the insulating argon between the panes)
2) Replace the lower sash = $150 (Decent, but a looooong wait for this one)
3) Replace the whole window with an even better quality one = $300

Replacing the window would give us better insulation in what becomes a very cold hallway in the winter. This is VERY tempting.

Estimate #2 - Home Depot Guy (orange apron and everything)
This guy showed up 15 minutes after the first guy left. Here's what he said:
1) They could only replace the whole window - not repair.
2) They could replace it with a window comparable to what we have for $650
3) They could replace it with a better window for $700

SERIOUSLY?! MORE THAN DOUBLE THE COST?!

Not only have we already cut a check to the first guy, but if they do well, we will contact their company directly for repairs in the future. Screw Home Depot.

Fixing the Tub Without a Plumber

"Honey, I have some more bad news".

I hate hearing this from my husband. It usually means that something else in our house is broken.

Lately, we have been having a run of bad house luck. A toilet broke and had to be replaced. The downstairs bathroom floor has cracked and is coming up. My husband tripped while painting the upstairs hall, knocked over the ladder, and shattered the window.

We're bleeding cash.

This time, husband held up the little lever that drains the tub. It had been sticking for a while, and finally snapped right off instead of budging. Great.

Husband was all for calling a plumber. I was all for searching the internet. It turns out I could get the parts at Lowe's and probably do this myself. It's worth a try.

Plumbers are EXPENSIVE, and I will only call one under duress.

OFF TO LOWE'S!
(Yeah, I know. This blog is starting to look like a Lowe's commercial, but I swear I am not paid a dime by them.) (Not that I would mind if they wanted to pay me.) (Actually, I think I'd rather enjoy it.) (*hint hint*)

The nice man covering the plumbing department showed me what I would need. Apparently I needed more than just the little lever thing. Likely, the sticking problem was cause by some blockage down by the drain, so I should replace that, too.

Sure. Okay. So long as there are instructions on the package.

I don't have a true before picture, as husband took it apart before I could get up there and start snapping. The above picture is the removed overflow plate and lever behind it.

Notice that the tub is still full? Yeah. That's because the trip lever broke before the drain opened. I grabbed the lever with pliers and pulled upward, disengaging the plug. The water was able to drain out and I could work.

I don't have pictures of the next part (where I removed the drain) as I was struggling and frustrated, but I can tell you how to do it.

1) Remove the screw holding the drain plate in place.
2) Underneath you will see is sort of cross (either metal or plastic) in the drain.
3) Put the handles of a pair of pliers in the cross, then twist to remove it.

Note: My plier's handles weren't narrow enough. I used the tips of the pliers instead.

So I just pull up this drain piece to look for what's blocking it...

HOLY SWEET BABY JESUS, WHAT THE CURSEWORD IS THAT?!?!?! I MAY NEVER SLEEP AGAIN!!

I feel dirty even looking at this - like a need a bath. But clearly, after seeing this, I can never trust the bathtub again. Ever.

Drama aside...

4) Throw out the scary drain.
5) Thread the brand new shiny one in it's place.
6) Put some plumber's putty around the outside rim
7) Screw down the new drain plate.

The next section was the part I probably should have done first, namely replacing the overflow plate and trip lever. I put it off because the cotter pin holding the old lever on was seriously corroded and hard to remove. Eventually it required a wire cutter and pliers. I cut off one end, then used the pliers on the other end to pull the pin out. This released the broken trip lever so I could install the new one. The new kit included screws for the plate and a sparkly new cotter pin.

The cotter pin attaches the back of the new trip lever to the piece coming out of the wall, and the screws attach the new overflow plate.

Actually, it was a much easier fix than I thought. Doesn't it look beautiful?

Kit cost = $30
Plummer's putty = $2
Total (after tax) = Around $35

Tell me. Have you ever spend only $35 on a plumber's visit? No? Didn't think so.

Meal Stretcher Monday - Chili

We're on an increasing trend toward vegetarian meals in this house. I am a vegetarian, but I am willing to cook meat for my family if they wish. So why all the extra plant-based meals? I would love to say that it all comes down to health and making better choices for our bodies. I would be lying. It all comes down to cost.
Here's some ground beef I saw in the store today. At $3.38/lb, it's actually even a little cheaper than the national average, which I last saw hovering around $3.80. Remember, depending on where you are shopping, some of what is in this package isn't pure beef (remember pink slime?)

I'm not going to force anyone to stop eating meat. If vegetarianism is for you, you'll get to it. That being said, stretch your meal budget. Stop putting meat where you don't really taste it. A steak dinner? Yeah, you'll taste the meat. Chili? Not so much.

I make a good vegetarian chili. I mean, GOOD. You'll love it. Trust me. And of course, you know it's cheap.
Side note: When I have brought my chili to functions, people have often thought that it was mislabeled as 'vegetarian'. At one point someone moved my 'vegetarian' sign and stuck it on a salad bowl. Poor guy didn't realize that plant-based foods are not all salad.

Ordinarily, I make this with something like MorningStar Farms Meal Starters. While this is certainly healthier than meat, it's just about as expensive right now.

This time, I'm using straight up TVP (textured vegetable protein).

TVP is a soy product. It is a good source of protein, has no fat, 80 calories per serving, and is REALLY CHEAP. The bag in the picture cost me $2.50 at Job Lot, and makes the equivalent of over two pounds of meat.

Today, I'm making a double batch of chili. Let's compare:
4 cups of ground beef (cooked) = $6.72
4 cups of TVP (cooked = $2.50

Yep.

Let's get started!

Vegan Chili Recipe (double batch)
Ingredients
2 cups TVP (dry)
2 medium onions (chopped)
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 large can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 small cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (undrained)
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cans beans of your choice (rinsed and drained)

Put the TVP in a large bowl. Over top of it, pour 1 3/4 cups boiling water or vegetable broth. (I used broth made from a vegetable bullion, so I left the salt out of the recipe). Stir and let sit for 10 minutes.

While you are waiting, cook the onions on medium heat until tender.

Add the rehydrated TVP and stir. Cook for about a minute.

Add the tomatoes and spices. Cover and cook on low for about 40 minutes.

Add the beans and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve with cheese, or sour cream, or whatever you would usually choose to serve chili with.

My carnivore Husband just polished off a big bowl of it - and he has a deep and abiding suspicion of soy. Believe me; if he doesn't miss the meat, you won't either.

Brown Bananas Save Breakfast Bucks

I am returning to teaching this fall. I'm nervous. Mainly about the mornings. As teachers, Husband and I have to be out the door early. Early is never a good time for thinking clearly.

I keep trying to think of good, easy to grab foods for breakfast. In my pre-mommy days, I would often stop by the Dunkin Donuts on the highway to grab a coffee and breakfast. Two kids later, this idea is untenable.

It's been really warm here, and for the first time in a while, the bananas went very brown before they could be eaten. That can only mean one thing...BANANA BREAD!

I love making banana bread. I love eating banana bread. I wonder if I can turn it into a decent breakfast.

BANANA MUFFINS!

Out comes my favorite Betty Crocker cookbook.

My intention was to make their banana bread recipe, but I wanted to make a double batch, and I couldn't find where we had put the white flour. My recipe went more like this (remember, this is a DOUBLE BATCH):

2 1/2 cups sugar (a little sweet for me. You can cut back if you'd like)
1 cup butter (softened)
4 eggs
6 medium bananas (if you are short 1 or 2, just substitute with 1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce each)
1 cup buttermilk (I made mine from 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp vinegar)
2 tsp vanilla
4 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt

In a mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat well. Beat in the bananas, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth. Mix in the flour, baking soda, and salt until moistened.

At this point I filled a 12-muffin pan with half of the mixture and baked at 350 for 20 minutes (or until a toothpick or knife comes out clean).

I realized that Husband does not enjoy the idea of 'healthy' food and might get turned off by the whole wheat flour. I added a cup of chocolate chips to the second batch. He was happy.

All together, this made about 28 muffins. After we ate a few, I put the rest into big freezer bags to await our fall morning rushes. All I have to do is either thaw them by taking out a couple the night before we eat them, or pop them in the microwave that morning.

The whole wheat flour makes these really filling, and they cost me nothing, as I already had the ingredients. Compare this with spending $3-4 dollars a few times a week at Dunkin' Donuts, and I'm really saving some money.

The muffins were a little sweet for me, so next time I am going to cut back on the sugar...but let's not tell my husband that, okay?

Smarter Smartphone

I want an iPhone. Lots of people that I know have them, and whip them out at the slightest provocation. What movies are showing? Oh, lemme check my IPHONE. I wonder if it will rain tonight. Oh, lemme check my IPHONE. How do you get there from here? Oh, lemme check my big, fat, shiny, status symbol IPHONE.

Phone envy. It's an ugly thing.

So, I break down and go into the local AT&T store. There it is. Sparkly. Beckoning.

The lovely, if slightly over-made-up, sales lady wants to tell me all about it. I already know all about it. What I want to know is the cost of the plan.

Well, I can buy the voice plan for $40 per month, then data for another $30. After taxes and fees, I'd be looking at close to $90 per month.

Duuuude.

Two years ago, husband and I had Verizon cell phones. We were paying $90/month to Verizon for them both COMBINED. That's $1,080 a year. When our second son was born and I went on maternity leave, we switched to prepaid Tracfones.

At the time we bought...
1) Two double-minute phones ($20 each = $40)
2) Two 400 minute/one-year activation cards ($100 each = $200)

That's $240 for a year. AND THE COVERAGE WAS JUST AS GOOD.

Yeah. I'm sticking with Tracfone.

But...I still want a smartphone. Fortunately, Tracfone has started offering them. When husband's phone accidentally went on a magical trip through washer/dryer land, we were short one phone. I use more of the texting features, etc, so we set husband up with my old phone and I got this:

It cost $50. Yeah, I know that's more than twice the cost of my old $20 phone, but it does really cool stuff! I can check the internet with it! I can download apps! I can text with a wee little touch screen QWERTY keyboard! I can hang with the cool smartphone-wielding kids!

Sure, it's not an iPhone. It can't do ALL of the cool things than an iPhone can do. The thing is, it's a compromise. It does what I need it to do. It can make calls, send texts, and take pictures, and take videos, and check the internet. Best part: I can afford to keep the kids.

Know what's even better? Look at the picture again. See where it says "unlimited triple minutes"? That means that the 400 minute card (recall: $100) that I will put on it before October will actually give me 1200 minutes. This past year, I think I only used 700. Now I should have 500 extra to waste on FaceBook! Not bad, right?

In summation:

iPhone = $1,080/ year
Tracphone = $100/year
Savings = $980

Do you have any idea what I can do with $980? (*Hint: read my other posts).

Who's smart now, AT&T?

A Great Home Facial

I want to go to a spa. I'm tired, sick, stressed, and angry over some bad news today. A helpful friend, who clearly has no concept of the difference in our income levels, told me I should go to a spa and get a facial to feel better.

Yeah. That's not going to happen.

Hm. I've done a facial at home before. Maybe it's time for that again.

Checking the website of a local spa, I discovered that a facial there would cost $80 (only $75 with a Groupon!), and would entail a gentle cleansing, exfoliation, moisturizing face mask, and massage.

Please. I can do that myself, and I guarantee it'll be a lot cheaper than $75 bucks.

Here are the steps I have devised for the perfect spa facial at home, with stuff from my kitchen:

Ambiance...

1) Send the children somewhere. Maybe convince the husband to bring them to the library or something. Or just get behind a door with a lock on it. Anything.

2) Put on something that you enjoy listening to. This can be relaxing music, one of those ocean sounds CDs, or maybe just the trashy reality TV show that you can't admit that you like.

3) Pour yourself a nice cup of healthy herbal tea. Or a mineral water. Or an enormous glass of wine. Whatever makes you feel relaxed.

4) If you wish, light a scented candle. Make sure that it is well away from anything flammable, and from small children bent on destruction.

Cleansing...

1) Seriously, just wash your face with whatever you usually wash your face with. If you want to use a special soap for the occasion, or want to make this step more ceremonious or something, knock yourself out.

Steaming...

Steam is wonderful for deep cleaning those pores, and there are several ways to go about this step.

1) Get a bowl of boiling water. Put your face over the bowl, and a towel over your head and the bowl (to keep in the steam). This has the drawback of requiring you to sit with your face over a bowl.

2) Do pretty much the same thing, but with a clothing steamer. Warning: Stay at least a full foot away from the steamer as second degree burns are really unattractive.

3) Wet a wash cloth with tap water. Ring about 80-90% of the water out, then microwave it for 20-30 seconds. When it is just cool enough to touch, sit down and put the wash cloth over your face. Leave until cool. Repeat if you feel like it. (I like this method the best).

Exfoliating...

This is the simplest, best face scrub in the world. Ready?

1) Put a tablespoon of baking soda in a teacup or other small vessel.

2) Add enough water to make a creamy paste.

3) Using your fingertips, massage this gently over your face in small, overlapping circles.

4) Rinse.

Moisturizing Face Mask...

There are a LOT of recipes out there on the internet for homemade face masks. here are two that I have used and had success with:

1) For dry skin:
1/2 avocado
1 tbsp honey

Blend together in a food processor until creamy. Apply to face and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Wash off.

2) For oily skin:
1 banana
1 tbsp honey
1 squirt of lemon

Blend together in a food processor until creamy. Apply to face and leave on for 15-20 minutes. Wash off.
(See a pattern?)

That's it. Your total cost depends on how much of this stuff you have in your kitchen. For me, the only thing I had to get was the avocado, which cost me $1.99. I only used half, so this entire facial cost me a dollar.

Not bad, huh? I didn't even need a Groupon.