Frugal Intelligence

 

Intelligence is best described as the ability to learn.  While it can be measured to some extent there are no tests which can measure intelligence fully.  Common sense, for instance, is a form of intelligence and can be far more valuable than 'book learning'.  Common sense allows one to draw on knowledge that is not necessarily learned but instinctive.  Experience is a great way to increase knowledge and intelligence.   Experience allows you to expand knowledge by practically applying what has been learned through book learning and intuitive experiences.  Inspiration is the inevitable conclusion of intelligence + application of knowledge + experience.

I was about to toss a zippered blanket bag in the trash the other day when I recalled that Katie, in her new sewing days, repurposed all my comforter bags.  She'd fuse fabric to the clear plastic to make a waterproof tote bag.  Quite honestly, it was a bit of frugal genius on her part and a very clever repurposing of items on hand. 

As I stood there with the bag in my hand, I was wondering where on earth she got the idea...but then where do any of our ideas come from?  We do certain things and then one day there is the next step before us, the thing that moves us  to a higher level of experience.  We didn't begin with these ideas, we grew into them!

In My Home This Week: Second Verse, Same As the First

In my home this week:

It really does look like a repeat of the week just past, with the difference that John will be home all week long.  The flooring was rescheduled to go in on Friday morning...and then rescheduled again for this coming Wednesday.  I cancelled my hair cut to accommodate the first change of plans.  Too late to get that appointment back so I'm scheduled for Friday of this week.  And John, who has spent three weeks doing a Daniel fast has requested that I keep making such meals with just the occasional meat meal thrown in.  I feel like Ground Hog Day (the movie) has hit my home and it's not even February.

Frugal Friday: Another Finished Project

Saturday:  I happily spent hours working on my genealogy notebook, organizing notes in order by date of events.  I also printed off pictures and documents to accompany sets of notes.  It was a lovely day as far as I was concerned.  I love nothing better than walking down the paths of history, watching as a family grows and leaves home, moves into homes of their own.  It's wonderful to see how the cycle of lives goes on and on.

Made Fried Rice for dinner.  Always an inexpensive option for meals.  I had a chicken breast with mine.  I pulled a packet of homemade egg rolls from the freezer to have with this meal and sliced up oranges.

I was mighty disappointed in that chicken.  I haven't had such a tough piece of meat in a long time.  This was  the $.88 pound chicken breasts I bought a few weeks ago.  I think, for my money, it's more than worthwhile to pay the $2.99/pound at the good meat market which has happily resumed those Tuesday specials on breasts and ground beef.  Now if I just had space in the freezer!

Supper tonight was easy: Cream of tomato soup and peanut butter roll ups for John, soup and PBJ for me.

Coffee Chat: Oh My

Come in and have some coffee.  I keep trying to get down deep enough into the freezer to find those Banana Doughnuts I made early in the month but doggone if I can find them.  The freezer continues to burgeon with foodstuffs.  I had hoped to have made some dint in it but I haven't really.  There is a bag of ice in there but every time I take it out, John says "Oh no!  You're not going to toss that gourmet ice are you?"  He means it.  I put it back and shuffle stuff around a bit more and open up a space just about big enough for one jar of something and immediately we have one jar of something to go right into that spot.  So no dint, no doughnuts...but we do have an abundance of ice.

We've had  some weather here abouts.  Nothing touched us.  Indeed we'd never have known it was more than a typical winter rain had it not been for the local weather men and the routine beeps of hazardous weather reports on the TV.  The few branches that blew down were dead ones that had been hanging on for no reason we understood way up in the tops of trees and even so there were few to deal with.  The latest news reports say that the two day storm total was at 18 tornados touching down and they were still investigating areas with damage to try and determine how many more.  They were suspecting we had 22 at least.  There were deaths about 100 miles south of us and a loss of homes.  

The only recorded incident in our county may have been a tornado. I haven't been able to find any reports of it but Mama told me about it.   A 96 year old woman was sitting next to a plate glass window, when the window imploded and part of her roof was ripped off.  She had no injuries.  Her family found her standing in the kitchen.  She told a reporter, "I was a mite shook up for about a minute."   I should guess so.  And I'll just bet you she moved a lot quicker than she normally does, too! The local paper does mention this today and declared it a tornado.  This woman's home and another on the property, as well as a barn, were damaged.

Meatless Monday: Homemade Yogurt

Did you know that yogurt has about 11 grams of protein per 1 cup serving? 

Yes, yogurt has protein!  All milk products contain protein but yogurt has one of the highest grams per 8 ounce measure of the milk products.  That's why many nutritionists include it in breakfast menus.

I have been asked several questions about the yogurt I made at the beginning of this month when I was working on the challenge to feed 2 on $20 for one week.  This was the most successful part of that challenge and certainly has been the nicest.  It's hard to feel deprived if you've a quantity of rich, lovely, creamy yogurt on hand to eat as you choose.  Currently I'm looking forward to an after dinner treat of yogurt with fresh raspberries atop.  Oh YUM!

First I want to reply to Becky who said that her yogurt was always too tart for her family.  The only thing I can suggest is to incubate it for a shorter period of time.  This recipe calls for three hours, I think.  The longer it sits the more tart it becomes.  Letting it sit longer can also make it thicker but you can see from the photo how nice and thick this came out.  That jar sat on it's side for four or five shots since I never get a clear shot at anything that isn't blurry on my first try!

Meatless Mondays: Combining Foods for Optimum Plant Proteins

 
As I looked over various charts, intent upon studying how certain combined foods will form proteins, I recalled a statement from an earlier post and felt I must share this with you as well.  I feel I would be remiss to continue to call plant proteins as 'complete proteins'.  I was reminded of this in reading another blog's comments on a post that stated peanut butter nor beans and rice were 'complete' proteins and  again this morning as I was studying this matter.  Protein provides amino acids.  Amino acids MUST have protein in order to form.  Plant proteins provide some of the amino acids required by our body but not all.  Keep this in mind if you want to explore eating more plant based protein meals.

Now that said I thought this particular site was the most helpful, mainly because it provided the information in distinct categories.  This site suggested you should start with a BASE for building protein.  Base foods are:

Category 1:  Breads, Cereals, and Grains
You should choose whole grain products.  Rye, wheat, oat, rice, spelt, quinoa, Long Grain Brown Rice, Whole wheat products and Whole grain cereals.    These include; breakfast cereal, pasta, noodles, flour products, etc.

Any item from Category 1 should be combined with any item from any of the next three food groups below.  Often recipes combine several from each category but it's helpful to know that the base will work with just one other food, isn't it?

Meatless Monday and Tuesday and Wednesday...

With John's desire to eat Daniel meals the majority of January, I had to really stretch myself to prepare meatless meals.  I had a few meals I could draw on but nothing to cover 21 meals a week.  It took a lot of creative thinking and attempting some new recipes.   We are and have always been meat eaters.   I don't expect that to change but I will say that the most surprising thing to John has been how satisfying meatless meals can be, even to the point that he's asked me to serve a few each week after we're done with this time of fasting.  I thought perhaps some of you might be interested in what I made and how I made it. 

And just for those of you who are interested, I have, for the most part, been able to eat the same things John did without adding meat.  Only one meal was not the right balance of carbs and non-meat proteins and I paid for it with a spike and hard drop.  The meals that gave me little trouble were almost always the bean based meals. Not one of those meals caused me any problems at all. It is proof, if you are not a hard diabetic, that even those who deal with diabetes can eat a meatless meal plan. 

Dried beans were the mainstay of our proteins, most of them canned.  I made a three bean chili that was very good and served it over rice.  We had that twice during that week then I mixed leftover rice and chili together and made enchiladas.  Mine had cheese.  John's did not. I also made stuffed baked potatoes using that chili, before adding the rice, atop the potatoes.   I used my usual chili recipe and just substituted extra beans for the usual ground meat I'd use.  Not really a recipe to share since I think chili is as individual as those who make it.    Chili is versatile as a protein.  Had John not also sworn off dairy and breads, I'd have used it in more ways than I did.