Getting Ready for Spring

With the price of groceries skyrocketing, we decided to give it the ol' Hoover Family try and plant a garden this year.

When I was growing up, my Paw always had a huge garden. He was a farmer, born and raised, large scale strawberry farmer for decades. A home gardener raised during the Depression, when you either grew food or didn't eat, he was good. I can still remember my Momma's picnic table piled with tomatoes, more than we could ever eat, waiting to be canned or made in salsa. We would snap beans outside for hours, he would peel fresh cucumbers right from the field for us to eat, we dug our own potatoes. He planted a field of sunflowers for my sister and I when we were young, to cut, play in and look at. We always had so much.

He and I gardened together as a grew up. We always did well with squash, zucchini and corn, had mixed results with tomatoes, minor victories with strawberries, complete failure with eggplants. Since he died, I haven't had a real garden. I tried containers last year and it was a bust. This year, I am determined to make this work. So, with my dad's help, my LSU Planting Guide, $25 worth of seeds, and a bit of luck, we are going to try.

My dad got out the trusty old Farm All and turned over the ground a few weeks ago. Of course, Daniel loves the tractor and wants to ride and help his Paw-Paw. Today, they disced everything, cultivated, mixed in fertilizer and made up rows.


After we get some rain this week, we will put down plastic. We have seven rows, 40 feet each.

I got all my seeds started in peat trays. I have 4 varieties of tomatoes (for 80 plants total), 6 types of bell peppers, several hot peppers, grape and cherry tomatoes and eggplants started. They will be in the greenhouse until April 1st (give or take, depending on temps...)













I also planted an herb garden. I have a 4x4 bed that had roses, but they were so much work. While they were beautiful, they were not practical; the flowers lasted a few days and did not cut well for bouquets. I thought herbs close to the house would be a good idea.

I planted them in wedges in the bed. The orange tape separates each section; green onion, thyme, basil, rosemary, oregano, cilantro, parsley, and lavender. Hopefully, I will have plenty for cooking, maybe even some to dry and save for later.


Lots of work, lots of fun. Hopefully, the green thumb is partially genetic and I got that gene from my Paw. Maybe with a little of his skill and some luck, we can have a bountiful garden this Spring.

A few printable coupons for this weeks grocery bargains!

Enjoy savings on top of savings!

Albertson's
Simply Orange Orange Juice 2 for $5; $1 off each print 2
Blue Bell Ice Cream $3.99; join Blue Bell's site and get $1 off


Winn Dixie
17 oz. Honey Nut Cheerios B1G1 Free; $1 off 2 coupon here
Pilsbury Italian loaf, pizza crust, Cinnamon rolls 3 for $5; coupons here
Pompeian Olive Oil 32 oz B1G1 Free; $1 off coupon print 2
Campbells' Chunky Soup 2 for $3; several coupons, quantities vary

Coupon Clipping Monday

Some links to share for coupons to print! You may have to join the sites. I get emails when new coupons are posted and I am not getting any noticeable increase in spam lately.

You can print multiples of some coupons. This is great for when stores run buy one, get one free promos (remember, you ARE buying 2 items and you can use two coupons). If you use a product, print it! You never know, you may catch a great sale and be able to stock up at a great price!

I got my big coupon organizer at Target for $3.64. It is large enough to store receipts, store mailers, bounce back coupons and stuff I clip.

Links!
Grocery Cart
Betty Crocker
Kellogs brands
Target store coupons
Coupons.com
Smart Source

Fake-out Take-out! Pizza Night

Tonight was our homemade takeout night. We love pizza, but it always costs us at least $20 for pizza. We are just not fans of mass-produced pizza; Papa John's, Dominos, meh, Pizza Hut is ok. We really love Tommy's on Thomas, but it is not cheap. Making our own pizza is cheaper and healthier and can be a weekly treat!

Roundabout guess is about $5 for the whole pizza. I topped it with turkey pepperoni, onions, bell peppers and black olives, with mozzarella and Italian blend cheeses.

Dough is easy;
2 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 cup warm water
2 tsp yeast

Dissolve yeast, mix dry, add wet to dry, stir and kneed. Let rise 40 mins, kneed again, shape and rise 10. Top and bake. Oh, and yum!

Once a Month Cooking; Day 2

Today, I made a big double batch of Tasty Kitchen's Carnitas. I saw them linked last week and heard my friend, Sarah, rave about how they were the best thing she had ever cooked. We love pulled pork, we love tacos, why the heck not pulled pork tacos???

I followed her recipe to some extent. I was able to get a 7 lb pork loin at Sam's for $14, so I used that instead of pork shoulder. It also has less fat. I had to add a pack of taco seasoning because I ran out of cumin.

It is sooooo good. Like soooooooOOOOOooooo goooooOOOOOd!!! And it was easy, maybe 20 minutes of prep, a little chopping at the end. Plus, I got to drink the left over Dos Equis from deglazing the pan. Woot!



We had a big supper AND I was able to put 3 bags of pork in the freezer for the following weeks. I also got some 20 packs of tortillas at Sam's for only $2 each, so I split them up and froze them too. Super easy, so yummy suppers, no work!!!

Take a peek in my freezer and check out my loot! Tomorrow, we are eating a random frozen meal I had tucked away; Mystery Meal!

Once a Month Cooking; Let's do this! Day 1

I have heard of the once-a-month-cooking theory before. Basically, you make large portions of several meals and freeze. While it does seem to have it's drawbacks (eating the same meals over and over, the outright expense of making so much at once, the logistics of storage), I was won over by the possible convience and savings. I can have a hot, cheap, homemade meal in 20 mins or so. That's less time than it takes to get takeout! And I am covering my own butt for when I lose motivation and start slacking with my meal planning.

I have cooked a week's worth of meals in one go. In fact, it was my preferred meal prep method for a while. Cook a bunch on Monday, heat it up all week. But for the once-a-month deal, I am trying to cook a lot each day for a week, then thaw/heat/eat for the month.

My Plan;
5 Freezer Meals a week.
1 Fresh Meal
1 Make-Your-Own-Takeout Night (pizza, Chinese, burgers and fries)

Even eating freezer meals requires cooking. You have to make pasta, rice, bake bread, make salad. But significant reduction in time spent cooking each day...

Let's try this!

Today, I made a vat of red beans. I think a shitton is the appropriate term. I hell of a lot; 2 large ham steaks, a pack of hot sausage and 5 lbs of red beans.
The stirring was hard. The chopping got old fast. But I put 5 dinners worth of red beans in the freezer, plus we ate some tonight.




I also made a huge batch of spaghetti sauce. I had to make it in 2 pots. I ended up with 6 quarts in the freezer and one in the fridge for dinner later this week,

I have to admit, I am exhausted. My kitchen was a wreck. But when I think of all the things I can do with the time we will be saving; gardening, sewing, crafting, cleaning, playdates.

*All my freezer meals are flat frozen in Zip-Loc Double Zipper bags. I have never had any bust or leak. Plus, they thaw so fast when you flat-freeze them. They take up almost no space and can be easily stacked.

Dried Beans FTW!

A few weeks ago, I got a 4 lb bag of dried pinto beans at Wal-Mart for $1.98. I had planned to make 4 separate meals from the bag, but last week, I was inspired to feed the freezer as well as the family. We spent on takeout when I wasn't feeling up to cooking and I wanted to have a few "safety net" meals waiting for the next time life happens and dinner doesn't. I had used 1 lb the week before and had 3 left. I had some super-bargain pork chops I tossed in, but I fully intend to make it without next time. These beans were great!

Mega Pot o' Pintos
3-4 lbs pintos, soaked
2 large sweet onions
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 Tbsp chopped garlic
2 pints Nearly Free Chicken Stock
2 cans Rotel

I simmered it all day, seasoned with Mexican spices, topped with taco sauce, cheese and sliced green onions. It was fabulous! Sooooo freaking good, so stinking cheap, very easy AND I got 3 big meals from it; 1 for that night, 2 waiting for me in the freezer.

With the pork chops I had tossed in, the entire pot (not counting toppers) costs about $6. For 3 huge meals!!!!