12% of American population on foodstamps

Rant time…

I read today that 12% of the American population is on food stamps – read here: .

And Texas is at the top of the list.  It amazes me that in this country so many people are in need of help to provide food for their families.  We can watch the stock market somewhat rebound, but until people are eating we are not recovering.  And the food banks are being depleted.

How can the politicians sleep at night.  They are saving a small fish in California while people are standing in line for food.  Makes me really mad.

Read here for a Houston mother’s experience trying to get help after her husband lost his job.   She’d have an easier time getting help if she was a “migrant worker” than an American family.  Infuriating.

Do dogs look like their owners?

I’ve seen the pictures where the dogs and their owners look the same.  I’ve never really thought about it with our family until I looked at my husband holding rowdy tonight …. I just started rolling and everyone looked at me – what is up with you???

TVP Experiments: crock pot king ranch casserole and ham omlette

I’m experimenting cooking with TVP.  It is a meat substitute I can keep in my pantry without breaking the bank.  If we ever are in a crisis and can’t get fresh meat, I don’t want to start learning then.  So join me on my mission…

Crockpot King Ranch TVP casserole:  Sunday I tried a new recipe.  I was really brave because I was taking it to a church pot-luck.  I told my friend about a new product (TVP) I was learning to cook with and someone came up with the idea I should bring it for everyone to sample.  I had only cooked with Taco TVP twice before.

It was a flop in my opinion.  But I’m sharing b/c I think it would have been really good cooked in the oven instead of the crockpot.  The corn tortillas just turned to mush in the crockpot.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups Taco TVP
• 1/2 cup dried onion
• 2 tablespoons garlic
• 1 can cream mushroom soup
• 1 cup sour cream (can sub cream chick soup)
• 1 can rotel tomatoes
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 12 to 15 corn tortillas
• 2 cups cheese (or velveeta)

In large skillet, hydrate Taco TVP, onion and garlic until has the consistency of cooked ground beef. 

Add soup, sour cream and tomatoes. 

Spray casserole with non-stick spray.  Start layering ingredients.  First a little  TVP mixture, then tortillas, TVP, cheese.  Repeat with tortillas, TVP, cheese.  One more layer and you’re done.  I cooked in crockpot and it turned to mush.  I think it would be really good in oven.  Next time I’ll cover and bake at 375 for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

If you have any TVP crockpot ideas for a pot luck (no soups please) let me know and I’ll give your recipe a try.

I also made an omelette with TVP ham.  I rehydrated the ham and made an egg omelette with ham, green onion and cheese…. very tasty.

It has been a while CVS

I used to visit CVS each week and roll the ECB’s (“Extra Care Bucks”).  But I quit b/c it gave me a job every week.  If I didn’t hit CVS, then my ECB’s might expire.  If you are not familiar with how CVS works, there are a ton of write-ups on blogs about how to shop this store.  I will not reinvent the wheel here.

The problem with CVS is it can become a ball / chain.  Which is exactly why they set up their coupons with ECB’s.  It gets you back into the store.

I’ve changed my policy when shopping at CVS.  Now I use all my ECB’s before I leave the store.  I shop the ECB’s promos first.  Then I shop the other sales and pay for these with the ECB’s I just earned.  It requires two checkouts.  But I leave with no ties to CVS. I went last night after Dave was home so I could shop alone.  It is hard to do this with kiddos.

Last week we rec’d a mailer with two $25 gift card prescription transfers.  I had two meds that needed refilling, so I transferred and got $50 in gift cards.  I would have had these filled anyway, so I didn’t spend unnecessary money to get the cards.  And my co-pay was less than $50, so it ended up being a money maker.

I used the $50 in gift cards plus manufacturer coupons and ecb promos to get:

• Large pack of Charmin
• Large pack of Bounty
• 6 reese big cups
• 3 jars macadamia nuts
• 11 cans Campbell’s Select soup
• 9 bottles of dawn dish detergent
• large bottle of miralax
• gilette fusion man razor
• One gallon milk
• almay mascara

I saved $85.44 in promos and coupons.  I used $50 gift card.  My out of pocket was $9.29. So the total retail price would have been $144.73.  $9.29 out of pocket was 94% off retail cost… not that anyone in their right mind would pay retail at CVS!

for other great pics of shopping trips see www.moneysavingmom.com.

Pantry Apple Muffins

If you’ve been reading my blog, you know I’ve been experimenting with cooking from my pantry, especially using dried fruit and veggies.  It is apple season, so shelves are in abundance with fresh.  If you don’t have fresh, you can still enjoy delicious apples using dried.  I made these a few weeks ago and have been planning to share.

Here’s a muffin recipe I used.  If you have powdered eggs, powdered buttermilk, dried apples and other baking staples, you can make these totally from your pantry.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

Adapted from King Arthur Flour

Yield:  12 large, 18 med

2 cup hard white whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup  sucanat (or granulated sugar)
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup buttermilk (used powder buttermilk)
1 cup pecans
1 cup rehydrated apples

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

This week’s menu

I’m trying menu planning again.  I can feel your eyes rolling.  Every time I post about menu planning… I complain about it.  Not today.  We’re gonna do it…. we’re gonna do it….. we’re gonna do it…..

Actually, we loaded up on eggs at an HEB sale last week and I need to use these.   I also have meat in my freezer I need to plan to use rather than stopping at the store b/c I didn’t plan and defrost.  This week I have enough fresh fruit and veggies so I shouldn’t have to make any shopping trips.  For other menus see www.orgjunkie.com.

The cost of this menu is less than $60 for 5 days of food for a family of 5.  Included is breakfast sent to work with Dad.

Monday (about $10 for day not including snacks, dessert or drinks):

• bagels / cream cheese and strawberries (from costco)
• leftover chicken, pasta and green beans (chicken tenders $1.39 quick sale at Randalls and green beans 33 cents a can at HEB this week)
• leftover meatloaf, potato pearls and salad ($1 / lb ground beef from quick sale at Randalls, potato pearls from Houston Cannery and romaine lettuce $1 / head at randalls)

Tuesday ($15 for day not including snacks, dessert or drink)

• homemade biscuits without shortening, eggs and fruit (bread flour from Randalls, eggs 99 cents for 18 last week at HEB, fruit from costco)
• grilled cheese with homemade wheat bread and celery sticks (celery 99 cents at Randalls and homemade bread, package of kraft sliced american cheese 99 cents previous week at Randalls)
• mom/dad:  baked stuffed seabass (I only have 2 in freezer) and kids – grilled hotdogs; pasta and salad ($3.20 seabass from quick sale clearance at Randalls, all beef hotdogs approx $1 with coupon)

Wednesday ($12 per day not including snacks / desserts and drinks)

• Wheat toast, eggs and fruit
• roasted chicken and green beans (make chicken broth with bones) (5.5 lb whole sanderson farms roaster for $1 / pound from Randalls quick sale and 33 cent green beans from HEB)
• Dad:  big salad with roasted chicken; kids/mom – pinto beans, rice (make extra for tomorrow) and salad

Thursday ($10 per day not including snacks / desserts or drinks)

• Whole wheat pancakes with syrup, and fruit (fresh ground whole wheat $5.90 for 25 lb bag from Houston cannery, maple syrup from slick deal on Amazon and fruit from Costco)
• frozen pizza ($3 california pizza kitchen on sale with coupon this week at Krogers)
• Chicken soup and buttermilk cornbread from popcorn (50 lb bag for ~$16 at Sams and buttermilk powder for less than $25 cents a cup)

Friday ($10 per day not including snacks / desserts or drinks)

• Toast, eggs and fruit
• black beans, canned corn, fresh sliced red bell peppers and rice (black beans $1 per can at Randalls, canned corn 33 cents at HEB, bell pepper $1 and rice 20 cents)
• Pork Fried rice with broken rice and salad (no bone pork chops $1.10 / pound clearance at Randalls)

Obama is to usher in New World Order

Obama is to usher in a new world order at G-20.  see here.  It sounds like something from a Tim LaHaye novel.

Here’s my translation of how it went down:

• China:  We want a seat at the Global Table.
• Obama:  sorry, but it is for the G-8 only.
• China:  do it or we won’t carry your debt…
• Obama:  but, but, but
• China:  YOU ARE BANKRUPT AND WE OWN YOU
• Obama:  Yes sir.

Sept. 24: President Obama and first lady Michelle greet China’s President Hu Jintao as they arrive for dinner at the Pittsburgh G20 Summit. (Reuters)

School Children sing Obama Songs

I’m not even going to write what I think about this.  It is just sick.

Misc Blog posts

I’m always researching how to do stuff at home and I run across wonderful ideas.  I’m going to start tracking a few of these and sharing.

Brownie and black beans – I’ll believe this after I try it.  I want to believe it.

Frozen whipped cream idea

$45 – $70 emergency menu for 4 to 6 people with recipes and daily plan – good if you have zero groceries and need a plan

Preparing Wheat Meat – I had never heard of this

Alternative Cleaning Recipes

wasp spray for self defense

Here’s an email my sister forwarded to me.  I thought it was ingenious.

cut/paste as follows:

You no longer need to keep your .45 or AK-47 sitting out on the coffee table… A can of wasp spray will do! Never would have thought it !!!

I have a friend who is a receptionist in a church in a high risk area who was concerned about someone coming into the office on Monday to rob them when they were counting the collection. She asked the local police department about using pepper spray and they recommended to her that she get a can of wasp spray instead. The wasp spray, they told her, can  shoot up to twenty feet away and is a lot more accurate, while with the pepper spray they have to get too close to you and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.

She keeps a can on her desk in the office and it doesn’t attract attention from people like a can of pepper spray would. She also keeps one nearby at home for home protection. You could also keep it in your car and it’s perfectly legal.  Thought this was interesting and might be of use…