Bob Red Mill

Good, Better, Best- Choosing Grains

February 18, 2011 by KerryAnn Leave a Comment

As I stated with my last post on this subject, I fully recognize that some of you have very tight budgets or only have access to mega-marts due to your locations. Others will have the funds and availability to choose the best of the best. Either way, this post isn’t to condemn someone who can’t pick the best of every option, it is to help you make the best decision you can with what you have, where you are.

For the beginning of this series, we will look at your choices in purchasing grains. We will not get into gluten vs gluten-free, whether or not you should eat grains, and the like. If you are currently buying grains, this is to help you decide what is the best option for your budget. This posting is my opinion, and after research, you might come to a different conclusion. If you do, please comment and share what you found and your reasoning. I’m always open to changing my opinion and updating this post if new or different information comes along.

The Choices

Cheap Eats- Budget Breakfasts I: Latkas

March 5, 2010 by KerryAnn Leave a Comment

It seems so many are struggling with their finances right now. My husband has been unemployed since May, so we know the struggle well. I’d like to share some of the recipes we use to help keep the food costs down. These prices are assuming that you are not buying in bulk and are shopping at a health food store. I will be posting a series of recipes over the next few weeks.

Latkas (from the Menu Mailer, Volume 3 Week 20)

Total meal cost $1.25, 31 cents a serving without applesauce or sour cream and not reclaiming the oil

4 potatoes (30 cents) (can use up to 1 cup grated zucchini if on hand)
1 carrot, optional (10 cents)
1 onion (10 cents) or finely chopped, leftover green onion
1 egg (25 cents if you don’t have your own chickens)
1 Tbs flour of your choice (rice flour two cents)
½ tsp baking powder (1.4 cents, Bob’s Red Mill)
1 tsp salt (Redmond’s real salt, 5 cents when bought from Amazon)
dash pepper (a penny)
Oil for frying (40 cents, I use leftover bacon grease combined with coconut oil or Palm shortening and can reclaim the oil left for more frying later)

Grate the potato, carrot and onion and place into a colander to drain. Squeeze out as much moisture from the mixture as you can. Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs, flour, baking powder, salt and pepper until combined. Add the potato mixture and stir until combined. Add a little extra flour, if needed, to get the mixture to stick together.

Heat enough oil to cover the bottom of a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven by one-quarter inch over medium-high heat. Place 2 tablespoons of the potato mixture into the oil and spread it to make a circle. Fry for 4-5 minutes on each side or until browned and crispy. Add additional oil between batches if needed if the latkas absorb the oil. Serve immediately.

Serve with applesauce or sour cream.

Cheap Eats- Budget Lunches III: Cornbread and Pinto Beans

March 15, 2010 by KerryAnn 5 Comments

My children are prone to complain if they see the same meal too many times in a row. To keep them from getting food boredom, I often take leftovers and turn them into something new. I do pinto beans on a Monday night, doubling the beans and setting the extra aside. I serve cornbread for dinner on Tuesday or Wednesday, and the following day for lunch I serve the reheated beans spooned over the cornbread. For me and the kids, we’ll eat three slices of cornbread and a third to a half a pound of dry beans for a lunch.

Final cost- 73 cents a serving using organic beans or 67 cents a serving for conventional. If you can use cornmeal that isn’t gluten-free, it will be a cheaper meal. [Read more…] about Cheap Eats- Budget Lunches III: Cornbread and Pinto Beans

Cheap Eats- Budget Breakfasts III: Rice Farina

March 11, 2010 by KerryAnn Leave a Comment

I am often appalled at the price of hot cereals, especially gluten-free hot cereals. If you have a blender or a grain mill, you can make them for a fraction of the cost of the commercially produced products and they will be fresher. Rice farina is the perfect example of this. Bob’s Red Mill sells it for $17.72 for 7 pounds, which comes out to $2.53 a pound. You can get whole rice for the normal price of 40 cents a pound around here, probably less if you go to an ethnic market, and then do about 3 minute’s worth of work yourself to save the $2.13 difference. I have also done this with sorghum and had excellent results.